Well That Just Won't Do - Book 2
by themadmage
Summary: Lily Potter died to save her son in the ultimate act of love, then realized that it wasn't enough and attached her ghost to her son to raise and protect him from beyond the grave. She gave Harry a cushion against the Dursleys, ensured he was removed from their home, and helped prevent him from risking his life in his first year. How will Harry and Lily deal with living with Snape?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Severus Snape's Home

Professor Snape's home was a single story, two bedroom house only a few minutes walk from the Leaky Cauldron, just off Diagon Alley. Harry could feel the wards shift around him as he stepped through the door for the first time, pulling his trunk behind him.

"You've moved away from Cokeworth, then." said Lily conversationally.

"Of course I have," Snape snapped back. "Why would anyone would live in Cokeworth when they have the choice?" Harry remembered once again that Professor Snape was the Severus that was his Mum's childhood friend. It was easy to forget at school, where the two seldom interacted and Professor Snape was so different from the child his mother had told him stories about. He followed the professor through the house in silence.

"This will be your bedroom while you are here," Snape said as he opened one door. Inside was a bed that would fit a single adult comfortably with simple grey sheets and a wardrobe. Harry put his trunk at the bed's foot. "My bedroom is the one next door. You are only to enter it in an emergency. The restroom is across the hall. We'll take meals in the kitchen on the same schedule that the school follows." Without waiting for a response, Professor Snape left the room and closed the door behind him.

Harry looked at the closed door for a moment before opening his trunk and setting up Mehen's terrarium, which an older student had put a temporary shrinking charm on for him for the train ride. Mehen slithered off Harry's shoulder and into the climate-controlled tank. Without unpacking anything else, Harry sat down heavily on the bed and looked at the clock. There was two hours until dinner. With another shaking breath, Harry pulled out his Charms book and tried to start his summer homework. It was obvious to Lily that he wasn't focusing when ten minutes went by and he hadn't turned a page or written anything down.

"What's on your mind, baby?" she asked gently.

"I don't know what's expected of me here, Mum, and I don't know what happens if I don't live up to Professor Snape's expectations." Harry's voice was painfully small when he answered, as if he was afraid Snape would hear him. Likely he was.

Lily sighed and hovered closer to her son, wishing more than anything she could give him a hug. "Baby, I know Petunia and Vernon didn't let you ask questions but you're not there anymore. If you want to know something, ask, and if Severus reacts badly I'll step in. And Severus shouldn't expect you to do anything he hasn't asked you to."

"If I want to know, ask. Okay. I can manage that." Harry glanced at the clock again, and resolutely worked on his Charms essay until fifteen minutes before dinner, when he packed up his things again. He said a hushed goodbye to Mehen, went to the restroom to wash up, and quickly found the kitchen. Professor Snape was putting vegetables and chicken on two plates, and Harry stopped in the door.

Snape looked up at him. "Well, sit down." Harry nodded and rushed to comply. They ate in silence while Harry steeled himself for the conversation he was trying to start. The professor was almost finished with his meal when Harry whispered to himself, "If you want to know, ask." His first attempt at speaking out loud came out as a croak and he had to clear his throat and try again. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering- that is, I wanted to know- What do you expect me to do while I'm here?"

"You're bored already?"

"No, that's not-" Harry noticed his hands shaking and hid them in his lap. He relaxed when he felt the chill of his mother's hand on his shoulder. "What are the rules?"

The professor considered the child in front of him for a moment. "I expect you to finish your summer assignments as early as possible. When they are finished, I will look over them and suggest corrections. If you want to use any of the books on the shelf in the living room, ask first. The same goes for leaving the house. Knock before entering my potions lab, which is in the basement, and do not enter it when I am not there. If you are not in the kitchen at mealtime, you will have to cook for yourself."

Harry waited a moment after the professor stopped speaking. "Is that all? Do I have any chores to do?"

"Keep the house neat, and clean up after any messes you do make. Are you capable of taking care of your own washing?"

"Er- yes?"

"Very well then."

"And if I do break a rule, what kind of punishment would you use?"

Snape thought for a moment. "I may have you do some extra chores, or write lines. I may restrict you to your room outside mealtimes for a day or two as well."

Harry nodded. He didn't want to be locked in his room but at least it was bigger than the cupboard and he'd be allowed to eat, and the professor hadn't said anything about physical punishments. As long as Professor Snape kept his word, Harry could live with that. Plus, the professor's rules didn't seem difficult to stick to. Hopefully they really were the extent of his expectations. That hadn't always been true for the Dursleys, but Harry kept reminding himself that he wasn't there anymore.

"One more thing, sir."

"What is it?"

Harry swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "I need to see a Healer at St. Mungo's."

That made the professor look at him curiously, which was more than he'd done throughout this entire conversation. "Are you sick?"

Harry's back stiffened. He didn't want to tell the professor why he needed a Healer. Lily noticed her son's distress and stepped in. "I want him to see someone about some carryover issues from his childhood that Madame Pomphrey wasn't qualified to deal with. Could you contact them for us, please? Ghosts can't use the floo, or I'd do it myself."

Severus nodded awkwardly. "I'll do that right away."

The next day, Harry joined Severus at breakfast at 8 a.m. walking on eggshells.

"You have a Healer's appointment this afternoon at 2. Also, your-" a glance at Lily "Godfather sent me an owl this morning asking to take you to Gringotts for the business you've discussed with him. Unfortunately, as he hasn't been cleared for guardianship I will have to accompany you as well. We will be meeting him at 3:30, after St. Mungo's."

Harry nodded wordlessly as he ate his eggs. The rest of the meal passed in silence, and after clearing his plate Harry went to work on his Potions essay until lunch. Lunch passed as silently as breakfast, and afterwards Harry was too nervous about the Healer's appointment to focus on his homework. He let Mehen out to explore the room for a bit and chatted idly with him.

_"New scents here."_

_"I don't think this room has been used much. You're probably smelling the paint on the wall or the new flooring. Hogwarts is a lot older, and mostly stone."_

_"You are not paying attention to me."_

_"I'm distracted, Mehen. I'm worried about this afternoon. I have to go to the Healer and they're going to look at how badly my relatives hurt me and if I need anything. I don't know if I want Snape to know what happened there, but what if he can tell from whatever medical treatment they give me?"_

_"I could bite them."_

_"I've told you before Mehen, humans can't solve all of our problems by killing people. I need the Healers to help me even if it's uncomfortable, and I have to live with Snape or go back to my relatives so I need him too. Plus he's my teacher."_

_"If you went back I could bite them."_

Harry sighed. When Mehen got on the idea of solving all of Harry's problems with a bite, there was no changing the topic. Soon, it was time to leave and Harry put Mehen back in his tank before meeting Professor Snape at the floo.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: St. Mungo's and Gringott's

Harry waited nervously in the exam room with his Mum by his side. Professor Snape sat in a chair in the corner of the room. After several long minutes, a woman in lime green St. Mungo's robes came in.

"Good afternoon, my name is Healer Amari. What can I do for you today, Mr. Potter?"

"Er, I need a full physical and wellness check, I think."

"Okay, and when was the last time you saw a Healer?"

"1981?"

Healer Amari paused. "A Muggle doctor?"

Harry bit his lip and replied more hesitantly. "Never?"

Healer Amari glanced over at Snape where he sat stiffly in the corner of the room. "Perhaps we should have this conversation privately. Professor, if you could step out please?" Once he had left the room, the healer turned back to Harry. By now most people knew that Lily couldn't leave Harry's side, so she made no attempt to remove her. "Mr. Potter, do you mean to tell me you've had no medical attention since before the death of your parents?"

Harry glanced to his Mum, unsure. "If I have, I was too young to remember it."

"No, he hasn't," confirmed Lily.

"Vaccinations?"

"He was up to date when James and I died," said Lily at Harry's blank look. "But that was when he was fifteen months old, and he has had no Wizarding or Muggle vaccinations since then."

The Healer made a note to order the several vaccines Harry was missing. "Eye Healer or Muggle Optometrist?"

"Er, I got my eyes checked in school when I was about 6? That's when I got my glasses."

"Has the prescription been updated since then?"

"No."

She made another note to order an eye exam. "Next I'm going to run a full scan of your body. It's a single spell, and will give me a reading on any injuries or illnesses you have, as well as a record of any past injuries or illnesses that were significant enough to leave a mark. You won't feel a thing." At Harry's nervous agreement, Healer Amari waved her wand in a complex pattern while muttering the spell too quietly for Harry to hear. A quill and parchment that had been sitting on a table nearby began automatically recording the results. When the spell was finished, Healer Amari picked it up and read it over.

"Height is 134 centimeters and weight is 26 kilograms. Both are significantly lower than we would expect at your age." She turned briefly to Lily, "James Potter was tall, was he not?"

"He was."

"Bone density also appears to be slightly below normal figures. Mr. Potter, do you generally get enough to eat?"

"Since starting at Hogwarts I do, but when I was younger food was taken away from me as a punishment."

Healer Amari carefully kept her expression neutral and made a note next to the measurements that the patient likely suffered childhood undernourishment. She added nutrient potions to her list of orders. "I'm also seeing an improperly healed broken wrist around three years ago, can you tell me about that?"

"Um, I think that happened when I was pushed down the stairs? I couldn't go to a doctor for it, but I had to do all of my chores with my left hand for a couple of weeks before the pain was manageable enough to use my right hand again."

Healer Amari's stomach dropped as she noted that the bones in the patient's right wrist would need to be re-set and healed on her orders, and the circumstances surrounding the break on the record sheet. "Your lungs are functioning at about 80% of their expected capacity. Have you ever had an infection or illness that went untreated?"

"Well, any time I was sick I was just given some over-the-counter medicine at home and told to sort myself out so I could get back to my chores." Another note on each of her sheets.

"Mr. Potter, do you feel safe at home?"

Harry bit his lip nervously. "That's sort of complicated..."

"What's complicated about it?"

Harry looked to his Mum for help. Lily shared a look with the Healer before filling her in. "Following the death of James and I Harry was placed with my sister and her husband, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. They're Muggles and have a son Harry's age. I had specified in my Will that Harry shouldn't go there because my sister hates magic and I feared it wouldn't be safe for him, but the placement was chosen based on the criteria for a certain set of wards powered by blood relation. Harry's aunt and uncle were abusive to him. When Harry and I arrived at Hogwarts in September, I met with the Headmaster and demanded that he find new arrangements for Harry. Living with Severus Snape is a temporary solution until Harry's Godfather is well enough to take custody of him. Harry feels nervous and uncomfortable in Severus' home, but that isn't because Severus has done anything wrong. He just isn't the most comfortable person to be around, especially for a child who has had such negative experiences for so long."

Healer Amari nodded and wrote down Lily's words. "Can you tell me what living with your aunt and uncle was like, Harry?"

In a small voice, Harry told the Healer about the Dursleys and their treatment of him. As he spoke, she listened carefully for anything he may be downplaying, as well as anything with the potential to cause lasting physical harm and made notes. When he finished, she asked the same question about living with Snape.

"Well, we've only gotten to his house yesterday. I asked him about rules and punishments, and they seem easy enough to follow but I'm worried that there might be more that he isn't telling me or he won't keep his word. I'm nervous about that a lot. He did bring me here when Mum and I asked, so I think that's good."

"And you'll be going to live with your Godfather in the future?" A nod from Harry. "How do you feel about that prospect."

"Happy, I think? I've been writing to Sirius since he got out of Azkaban in November. We visited over Christmas Hols and I'm seeing him again today in Diagon Alley. I can tell he really wants to be with me, where Professor Snape is doing this for me because he has to, so I think I'll be more at ease once I live with him."

Healer Amari noted on her list of orders that Harry should be referred to a Mind Healer to help overcome his past traumas, but that his current situation appeared safe and healthy. "Thank you for being honest with me, Harry. I'm going to call the professor back in now so I can go over with him what treatment you'll need. Since you're a child, I have to give this information to your guardian to ensure it is followed properly, but I won't tell him any more than I have to. Okay?"

"Okay."

Once Professor Snape was back in his seat in the corner, Healer Amari went over her list. "Harry needs several vaccinations and a new eyeglasses prescription. These things can be taken care of by a Mediwizard before you leave today. Harry is also underweight, his growth is stunted, and his bone density is low. I am prescribing nutrient potions daily alongside a proper diet to correct these issues. He should have a check every three months to see that he is making progress. These can be done at Hogwarts by Madame Pomfrey during the school year. I will send her a schedule of goals for each check. I found one improperly healed broken bone, which I recommend Madame Pomfrey re-sets once fall term begins and Harry has had a chance to recover some bone density. Harry's lung function is reduced, so I am prescribing a daily potion to help improve that. Madame Pomfrey can monitor lung function as well, but it is likely this potion will be needed for life. Finally, I am recommending sessions with a Mind Healer beginning as soon as possible. I will write a prescription for the potions that the hospital can fill. As you are a Potions Master, however, Professor Snape can choose to brew them at home if you prefer. Do you have any questions?"

"Will we receive these recommendations in writing as well?" asked Severus. He concealed his expression as usual, but he was surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of medical attention his charge was in need of.

"Yes, I will write out a list of instructions for you as well as one for Poppy Pomfrey."

"Very well, then. I have no further questions. Mr. Potter?"

"No questions," replied Harry in a small voice. He was soothed slightly by the cool touch of his mother's hand on his shoulder.

"Excellent. I will have the mediwizard come in for the vaccinations and eye exam, then you can be on your way. You'll see the Hogwarts Matron during the school term, so I won't expect to see you again until next summer. Good to meet you, Mr. Potter." Healer Amari then shook Harry's hand, nodded to Professor Snape, and left the room.

Minutes later, a young mediwizard came in with a pocketful of vials and an eye chart on a rolling cart. In just ten minutes, Harry had a sore arm and a new glasses prescription. "Take that to the shop in Diagon and they'll be able to set you up with some new glasses in that prescription, young man." Harry nodded, and left the hospital with Professor Snape. They took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron, and arrived at Gringotts just in time to meet Sirius.

"May your gold grow and your enemies sink to their knees," said Sirius to the goblin at the counter when it was their turn. The goblin in question looked reluctantly impressed with his greeting.

"And may Fortune favor you. What can I do for you today, Lord Black?"

"I have an appointment with Bogrod to discuss business between myself and Harry Potter," replied Sirius while placing a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder.

Lily cut in hesitantly. "I'm not sure what your protocol regarding ghosts is, but if possible I would like to access the main Potter vault while we are here, and retrieve something of mine."

The goblin looked at her shrewdly. "Goblins and ghosts are alike in our mistreatment by the Wizard ministry. You may only withdraw items that you deposited but we will allow it." Lily visibly sagged in relief and nodded her thanks. "Bogrod will be with you momentarily, please wait through here." He pushed a button on the desk and a door to the side swung open.

"My thanks," said Sirius, and he guided Harry to the waiting room. "Goblins are always surprised to be addressed in their traditional ways by wizards," he explained as they walked. "Only children of old wizarding families like mine have the opportunity to learn their ways, and most Pureblood wizards consider themselves above the Goblins and so they don't use them. It's their loss, though. Working with the Goblins is easier when they like you."

Harry was about to respond when another goblin, presumably Bogrod, walked in. "Follow me," said the goblin gruffly without waiting for a greeting. They walked through another door, one of many on the northern wall of the waiting room, and found themselves in Bogrod's office. "You're here for a blood adoption and an inheritance test?"

"That's correct."

"Adoption first." It wasn't a question. Bogrod was already pulling out the needed instruments. A crystal that no one else in the room could identify, a needle, a bowl, and a vial of potion. "Both of you prick a finger, three drops of blood each on the crystal." Harry didn't even flinch as he complied. Once the necessary blood was in place, Sirius healed the wound for him with a muttered spell. Bogrod placed the crystal in the bowl and poured the potion over it. It bubbled for a few moments, then turned from fuchsia to a brilliant green. He gave the bowl to Harry. "Drink."

Harry took the bowl and with a moment's hesitation, drank the potion. He was surprised to find it didn't taste too foul. Then, he was distracted by a warm tingling over his entire body. There were no physical changes that Harry could see after it stopped, but he felt different. Sirius accurately read the look of confusion on Harry's face and explained. "It's the Black family magic. The more generations a family has magic for, the more distinct their magical signatures become. Before, you were all Potter since Lilyflower is Muggle-born, and the Black and Potter magics are noticeably different so it makes sense that you'd feel the change."

Harry's mouth opened in a silent 'oh'.

"Next the inheritance test," said Bogrod blandly. Harry barely concealed a jump, having been so focused on the sensations that he almost forgot they weren't alone. Bogrod already had a quill and parchment on the desk, along with a different kind of crystal and a metallic plate etched with runes. "Three drops of blood on the crystal." Harry complied easily and Sirius healed him again while Bogrod placed the crystal on the plate. The runes glowed and the quill began writing automatically. When it was finished, they looked at the results.

_Heir of House Potter (Father)_

_Heir of House Black (Father, blood adopted)_

_Heir of House Slytherin (Mother, right of conquest)_

Professor Snape looked at the last line, surprised. Neither Lily or Harry gave him any more details. Sirius, who had already been expecting these results, nodded and rolled up the parchment to put it in his pocket. "Everything's in order, then!" he proclaimed cheerily. "Shall we go to the Potter vault next?"

Harry had thought his trust vault was impressive, but it didn't hold a candle to the main Potter vault. There was gold of course, though a lot of it had been transferred to Harry or spent on the war effort, but what caught Harry's eye was all the family heirlooms. A rack on the wall held generations of wands (Including his parents', he noticed tearfully.), another wall was lined with shelves holding old books that had been cycled out of the family library due to age, furniture and jewelry filled the space between them.

After giving him a moment to take it all in, Lily gently cajoled Harry into following her to one desk in particular. "There should be a sheaf of parchment in the drawer of this one, that's what we're here for." Harry nodded, and took it out. He glanced through the notes briefly. Most of it was well above his understanding, but from his Mum's written explanations he realized that this was the ritual she had done to protect him as a baby. "I want to go through these with someone and look for a way to alter what I did so that it doesn't have so many side effects for you. I'm hoping Severus or Sirius will help me." With one last glance around, they left the vault and the goblin who had accompanied them down locked it back up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Bit of Therapy and a Suspicious Lack of Mail

Harry had been at Snape's house for a week when he had his first Mind Healer appointment. He had spent that week mostly in his room, still unsure about his situation. With nothing else to do, almost all of his summer homework was finished. When he wasn't studying he talked in a whisper with Mehen or his Mum, afraid to make too much noise. He also wrote letters to his friends, but each was fairly short since he didn't want to discuss his visit to St. Mungo's and hadn't done much else. He brought the letters along to post from Diagon Alley while they were out that afternoon, since Professor Snape didn't seem to have an owl.

The Mind Healer's office was small enough that Lily could easily wait outside, so she did in order to give him privacy. She faded out of view in the hallway to keep from being spotted. Harry immediately became panicked when she left him alone with the unfamiliar man, and Healer Shabani took note of his agitation but didn't comment. "My name is Healer Agim Shabani, Harry, but you can just call me Agim if you want." Harry didn't respond. "Can you tell me what brings you to see me?"

"Healer Amari recommended last week that I start seeing a Mind Healer."

"And why is that?" he prodded gently.

"I lived with my aunt and uncle until I started Hogwarts and they- didn't treat me well."

"How so?"

Harry's shoulders sagged tiredly as he told Agim about the Dursleys and what they did to him. The Healer kept his face open and understanding while he made notes about the language Harry used and his physical state.

"Coming out of an abusive situation is a difficult adjustment for most children, even though it is for the best. How do you feel now?"

"Worried."

"Are you just worried while you're here, or are you worried at home too?"

"I'm worried at the professor's house, too."

Healer Shabani asked Harry a series of questions about how often he felt worried, what triggered it, how the worry made him act, whether he ever had spikes in these feelings or nightmares, and so on. Once he had gotten through the anxiety inventory, he did another series of questions to screen for depression and low self-esteem. When he had finished he offered Harry a calming draught, which the child gratefully took.

"It seems to me, Harry, that you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder with panic attacks and low self-esteem. What that means to me is that you feel worried, scared, or anxious frequently when you aren't in danger, and sometimes certain occurrences trigger a sudden increase in those feelings, and these feelings cause you difficulty in your daily life. You also don't think very highly of yourself. Does that sound accurate to you?"

"Yes," said Harry in a tiny voice.

"All those terms do is give me a place to start so that I can help you. They don't mean you can't improve and live a good life, or that you have done anything wrong. Anyone can experience these problems, and they are very common in people who have been through traumas like yours. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No."

"If you think of any later on, you can ask any time you see me. We're out of time for today, so I'm going to bring the Professor in so I can tell him what we are doing for treatment. Just like with Healer Amari, I will only tell him what he needs to do for you. Anything you tell me is private unless I think you are in danger, but an adult has to be responsible for your medications and appointments. Okay?"

"Okay."

Lily followed Professor Snape when he entered the room. Once the door was closed, Healer Shabani spoke to the group. "I am prescribing Calming Draughts, up to two a day as needed to start. Professor Snape, you will hold onto the supply but Harry should have them available whenever he needs one. I recommend giving him the two vials each morning so that he can take them on his own. I also want to see you back here once a week, and I want you to journal daily. I may sometimes give you assignments to write about in the future, but if I don't you can write about anything that's on your mind. Any questions?"

Professor Snape shook his head no, contemplating what he knew. The child's various medical ailments, plus the need for psychiatric care and a new living situation all clearly painted the picture of an abused child. It fit with Potter's demeanor at home, as well. He knew from his own experiences both as a child and as a teacher that confronting Harry about what he knew was likely to make him feel cornered and defensive. Instead, he silently vowed to try to be less cold with the child and to continue to ensure he got the care he needed. Healer Shabani said a jovial goodbye to them as they left and they purchased a supply of calming draughts from the hospital to last until the professor brewed more, just as they had done with Harry's other medications.

Each morning, Harry arrived at breakfast and took his potions. The nutrient potion tasted like burnt eggs and felt like chalk in his mouth, so he always washed it down quickly with a drink. Then the potion for his lungs, which was taken by adding a powder to the vial of liquid, then inhaling the gas that it turned into. Professor Snape then gave him his two calming draughts, and he usually took one right away. Once they were eating Harry would timidly ask if there was any post for him, to which the answer was always no. Harry was discouraged, having sent out letters to eight different people. Not even Sirius or Remus had written back. Two days after his first Mind Healer's appointment, Harry gave his stack of summer essays to Severus during the morning meal. The day after that he got them back covered in the red ink the professor favored for correcting. Harry noticed with an odd thought that the comments he made at school were harsher than these, but didn't dwell on the thought. Once all his homework was finished and corrected, Harry managed to ask to borrow some books to read. He still spent most of his time in his bedroom, and each night he journaled before bed with his Mum's reminders. Most of his entries were short and awkward, but he was writing them.

Harry's second therapy session started similarly to his first. Alone in the room with Healer Shabani, Harry was tense and anxious. "How are you feeling today, Harry?"

"Scared."

"Are you scared about anything in particular?"

"No."

"When was the last time you had a calming draught?"

"Breakfast."

"Would you like one now?" Harry nodded gratefully as he took the offered vial and swallowed the potion. Almost immediately, he relaxed slightly. "Do you usually take both of your calming draughts each day?"

"Yeah. I usually have one at breakfast with my other daily potions, and the second one sometime in the afternoon. I try to wait as long as I can for the second one because I sleep better if I take it closer to bedtime."

The mind healer nodded. "I'm going to increase your prescription to three calming draughts a day, as needed, for the time being so that you can have one in the afternoon and one in the evening if you need it. Over time I'll want to reduce the amount of these you're taking, but in the beginning of our sessions you'll find it easier to work through things with these."

"Okay."

"So how have things been at the professor's house?"

"I still worry a lot, and feel really nervous around Professor Snape. I spend most of my time in my room, and only really come out for meals or to use the bathroom. We don't talk much."

"When you talk, what do you talk about?"

"If there's been any mail. My summer homework. That's it, really."

"Have you considered talking to the professor about what it was like at your relatives' house? Or the things that we talked about here last week?"

"No. I'm not sure that I want him to know."

Healer Shabani sighed lightly. "It is always your choice who you tell about your life, Harry, but there is no shame in what happened to you. You were a child, you still are, and the adults in your life failed you and they are the ones who should be ashamed. Besides, it's likely that he already knows that you were abused."

Harry flinched at the word 'abused', but ignored it. "How would he know?"

"Well, he's a teacher. I guarantee you aren't the first abused child he's met, unfortunately. Also, he sees you every day and is in charge of your medical care. The things we're treating you for aren't common in children without some sort of abuse or trauma in their past. The professor is a smart man, I'm sure he's put things together and gotten a general picture."

"I don't want him to pity me if I talk about it, though."

Agim chuckled. "Does Professor Snape seem like the pitying type to you? An adult giving a child in their care what they need to be safe and comfortable isn't pity, it's responsibility. I'm sure Professor Snape is capable of doing that without being overly sympathetic and making you uncomfortable."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Also, talking about your past with others, especially with adults who have a mature viewpoint, will make it easier for you to recognize the ways you were mistreated and when it's happening again."

"I already know that what they did to me was bad."

"To an extent you do, but your viewpoint is somewhat skewed. People naturally adjust to their circumstances and what is normal there, and you have no memory of a home that was healthy and safe to compare your experiences to. As an example, when you described your experiences to me last week you glossed over several incidents when your aunt slapped you because you weren't beaten. While that's understandable given the circumstances you were in, she never should have slapped you either. One of our goals for these sessions is going to be helping you to see that even the more minor things your relatives did to you were inappropriate and undeserved."

"Okay."

"Has anything else been on your mind since last week?"

"Well, it's probably nothing but none of my friends have written to me even though I sent them all letters a whole week ago. Even Remus and Sirius haven't responded, and they usually wrote back in two or three days while I was at school."

"If something bothers you, then it matters. You don't need to downplay the issue by saying it isn't important. How has not getting any mail made you feel?"

Harry considered it for a moment. "Mostly disappointed and worried. I'm scared that my friends don't want to talk to me. I'm also a bit confused, though, because Sirius is my Godfather and just adopted me so it would be strange for him to lose interest."

"I agree that would be strange. Is there another reason you can think of that they might not have written?"

"Well, they could be busy. But it would still be strange for all eight people I've written to to be so busy that they can't write me back."

"Anything else?"

"There could be a problem with the mail delivery? Does that happen with owls?"

"Well the owls themselves almost never have problems, but sometimes things interfere. Wards, for example."

"Wards! There's a lot of ward's on the professor's house since I'm living there. Could that be stopping my letters from getting to me?"

"I don't know, but it's possible. How could you find out?"

"Well, Mum told me when I moved in with the professor that if I want to know something I should ask, but that's easier said than done."

"What makes it difficult?"

"I get scared when I try to ask the professor questions. The Dursleys didn't like it when I did and always punished me for it."

"They shouldn't have. It's natural for children to ask questions as they learn. Did they ever punish your cousin for asking questions?"

Harry thought for a few moments. "Only once, when he asked about magic in a story he heard. And even then he wasn't punished the way I was."

"Good. I think a good rule for you to remember when it comes to your aunt and uncle is that if they didn't do it to your cousin, they shouldn't have done it to you either. Has Professor Snape every punished you for asking questions?"

"He took house points a couple of times during the school term, but I think that had more to do with when I asked than the actual question."

"It's good that you can recognize that. You asked Professor Snape about his rules and punishments last week, do you think you could manage to expand on that by asking if there are any times you should avoid asking him questions, or topics you shouldn't ask about?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Yeah, I could probably manage that."

"Good. And I'm sure if his response is unreasonable your Mum will step in."

"It's nice being in the wizarding world where Mum can stand up for me."

"I agree. You deserve adults that stand up for you, Harry. We're out of time for today, so I'm going to bring the professor in and explain the change to your prescription before you go, okay?"

It took four more days of silence and worry for Harry to get up the nerve to ask Professor Snape about the wards. "If you want to know, ask," he muttered under his breath as he entered the kitchen for lunch. Then louder, "Sir?"

Professor Snape was almost startled to hear Harry speak outside of breakfast, so used to the routine he was, but he replied as patiently as he could. "Yes?"

"I was wondering, it's strange that I haven't gotten any mail. Do you think the wards could be interfering with my post?"

"Hm. I agree that it is odd. I do not know about the wards, since my post has been unaffected, but I'll look into the situation after the meal."

"Thank you, sir." A pause. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I have another question. It's about, well, questions. Is there any time that I shouldn't ask you questions while we're living here? Or anything I shouldn't ask about?"

"Well, I should hope that if you have a question after I've retired for the night you would save it for breakfast the next day unless it is an emergency. The same goes for while I am brewing since some potions I prepare over the summer are delicate. As for topics, I would prefer to keep my personal life private since you are still my student. However, any question that is relevant to you may be asked."

"Okay. Thank you, sir."

"Of course."

Harry chewed his lip nervously. "I used to be punished for asking questions, before Hogwarts."

With that comment, Severus realized what this line of questioning was about. "That will not happen here, I assure you. Anytime you need or even want something, you can ask for it, and if you are curious about something that is not private you may ask about that too. I may say no sometimes, but I will never punish you for asking appropriate questions."

"Thank you, sir."

This had been one of the longest meals the two had had since moving in for the summer, but now it was over. Harry cleared his plate away and returned to his room for the afternoon. Once the door was closed, Lily smiled proudly at him.

At dinner, Severus addressed Harry. "I examined the wards and did not find anything in them that would be blocking your post. However, I also received a missive from your... Godfather, asking if you were well as you hadn't replied to his letter so something must be happening. I will continue looking for the problem. In the meantime, I suggest you write to your friends again and tell them about the issue so that you do not offend anyone by ignoring them."

Harry's face fell, and Severus realized after a moment of thought how lonely the child would be in this environment without being able to contact any of his friends. With a put-upon sigh, he spoke again. "I suppose in the meantime, you could tell them to send letters to me to pass on to you since my post has been unaffected."

Harry looked carefully hopeful. "Are you sure, sir? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"I would not have offered if I wasn't sincere. I do not make a habit of volunteering myself for tasks I am not willing to undertake."

A grin. "Thank you, sir."

"Write the letters tonight and we will post them tomorrow after breakfast."

"Yes, sir."

By Harry's next appointment with Healer Shabani two days later, Harry had received letters back from everyone he wrote to. Agim was just as proud of him for asking about boundaries as his Mum had been. After Harry had finished filling him in on the current situation at Professor Snape's house, the healer took out a large stone basin with runes carved around the edges. It was empty. "Have you ever seen a pensieve before, Harry?"

"No, sir."

"It's a device for reviewing memories. Using my wand, I can make a copy of a memory and place it in this basin. We can then view the memory from a third-person perspective. The memory will include details that its owner cannot consciously recall, and is reliably a perfect copy of events as they happened as long as the owner of the memory was not under the influence of anything mind-altering at the time that it happened. We are going to use it to look together at some memories from your childhood and review them so we can identify some of the moments I talked with you about last week. Do you think you can handle that?"

Harry hesitated, but agreed.

"Good. First, I want you to call up a memory of a day when nothing out of the ordinary happened. Nod when you have it." Harry nodded, and Agim pulled a silvery strand of magic from Harry's temple and dropped it into the basin. "Good. Next, I want you to call up a memory of a time someone stood up for you, or you stood up for yourself. Nod when you have it." Harry nodded and Agim repeated the process, leaving the basin looking quite full. "The memories take much less time to view than they did to happen, so this should only take a few minutes. Hold onto my arm and I'll activate the pensieve. It will briefly feel like we are falling, but we'll always land on our feet and feel no pain. Are you ready?" Harry nodded, and Healer Shabani prodded the silvery liquid in the basin with his wand.

_Darkness. Harry was in his cupboard early in the morning. Suddenly, thunderous footsteps were heard from above and dust and bits of wood rained down on Harry where he lay. Dudley paused on his way down the stairs to jump a few times, laughing at the distress he knew Harry would feel._

"The cupboard you know was an issue, but did your aunt and uncle ever punish your cousin for disrespecting your space?"

"No, if anything they encouraged him."

"Even if the space they gave you in the house was inadequate, they should have respected your right to it."

_A lock clunked open to reveal Vernon's purple face surrounded by blinding light. "Get out of there, boy, and make breakfast."_

"Were you always locked in at night?"

"Yes. Vernon said I'd steal food if I wasn't."

"You had as much right to the food in that house as they did, and locking you up at night was dangerous and irresponsible. What if there had been a fire?" Harry could only shrug. "And did your relatives ever call you by your name?"

"No. They called me boy or freak. If they were talking about me to someone outside of the house they would just call me their nephew." The memory continued, and every few moments Healer Shabani would pause it to point out another small injustice that was done repeatedly to Harry until he accepted it as normal. With a swirl, the next memory began.

_Harry's year one teacher had noticed his ill-fitting clothes and hollow cheeks and given him a new backpack stuffed with a school uniform in his size and an application for food assistance, assuming his family couldn't afford to provide better for him. He was tearfully returning it to her. "I don't need these. They're charity. I have everything I need at home and I'm grateful to my aunt and uncle for everything they do for me." Harry's voice was small and stilted as he spoke._

"Did you rehearse that speech?"

"Vernon made me repeat it the night before until I got it right, word for word. He hit me with his belt each time I stumbled over a word or hesitated."

"Why couldn't you keep the things your teacher gave you?"

"The Dursleys didn't want charity. They prided themselves on being normal, and normal families don't need charity."

"Normal families also don't abuse children in their care. What they told you may have been true on the surface, but underneath what it comes down to is that they didn't want you to have new things even if they were free."

_"Are you sure, hun?" the teacher asked him. "I'm not asking for anything in return for them."_

_"We don't need charity."_

_"It doesn't have to be charity. What if it's just a gift?"_

_Harry started to cry harder. "Please just take them back, Miss. I can't keep them, I can't."_

"Why did you become so upset when your teacher tried to get you to keep the gifts?"

"I knew if I kept them, Uncle Vernon would punish me for disobeying him. I had to give the things back if I wanted to eat that night."

The memory ended not long after that with a concerned teacher watching over a sniffling Harry as he got in the car with his well-fed and well-dressed cousin. When they emerged from the pensieve, Harry was shaking. "Do you need a calming draught?" Harry nodded vigorously, and gulped down the potion that was handed to him. "I knew that would be difficult for you, but I'm glad you were able to do it. I'll give you a moment to process, and then we'll talk more about why I wanted you to see that."

Harry left the hospital feeling exhausted that day. At dinner, he spent more time staring into the distance than eating and nearly fell asleep in his potatoes.

"Are you well?"

Harry blinked himself awake. "I'm sorry, sir."

"There is no need to apologize. I only asked if you were feeling well."

Harry looked confused. "Yes. I'm just tired. Therapy was difficult today."

"Ah, I see."

"We used a pensieve to look at memories. There were a lot of things that I hadn't realized were so bad when they were happening." Harry was rambling and he knew it, but he had been trying to talk to Professor Snape about these things for weeks. If numbing exhaustion made it easier to talk, then so be it. "They never called me by my name. If Mum hadn't been there, I might not have even known that my name was Harry." Severus only listened while Harry talked. "I have scars on my back from being whipped with a belt. Once, after a bit of accidental magic I was locked in the cupboard under the stairs without food or toilet breaks for a week. The cupboard was my bedroom, even though Dudley had two rooms and there was a guest room for when Aunt Marge visited. I didn't go without because it would be hard for them to provide for me, they just didn't want me to have the same things they did." Harry's eyes slipped closed again as he spoke his last words.

Severus was struck dumb from what he'd heard. He had already suspected Harry was abused, but suspecting something and hearing a child talk so casually about it were two different things. He sent both of their dishes to the sink, and used a gentle levitating spell to move Harry to his bed. He looked at Lily, the sorrow on his face plainer than it had been in years. She nodded at him with a pained look on her face and he left without saying anything, the door clicking quietly behind him. Distantly, he could hear Lily singing a lullaby and he realized how helpless she must have been to watch her child go through all of that while powerless in a Muggle household.

_It's too dark to see, but Harry can feel the walls on either side of him. There's not enough space in the cupboard anymore for him to lie flat. He tries to open the door but it's locked. "Mum?" he calls out, but somehow he's alone. He tries to sit up, but his body screams in pain with the effort. A warmth spreads over his back and he realizes he is bleeding. The belt. His breathing comes faster and faster. If he could see he's sure the world would be spinning. "Mum!"_

Harry thrashed and whimpered in bed, trapped in his nightmare. Lily tried to rouse him, but he was too accustomed to her cold touch for it to shock him awake anymore. She called his name as he called out for her, but it was no use.

The commotion from Harry's room traveled through the wall and Severus woke with a start, unsure at first what caused it. When he became aware of the whimpering and desperate calls from the room next door, he immediately stood up out of bed, threw on a robe and went to tend to his charge.

Harry was disoriented upon waking. The bright light of the room was like the opening of the cupboard door in the morning, and a man's face hovered over him. He raised his arms to guard his head, curling in on himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he repeated over and over.

Severus did not touch the child, and backed up to a more comfortable distance. "You're safe," he said, but Harry didn't respond. Severus remembered that Harry was never called by his name at home. "Harry, you're safe, Harry."

It was enough to break through his panic. Gradually, Harry stopped his frantic apologies. He looked around as he remembered where he was. When he saw his Professor in his nightclothes, he immediately turned red and buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry I woke you, sir. You can go back to bed, I'll be fine."

"Nonsense. You're clearly upset, and you've done nothing wrong by needing comfort." Harry only looked at his professor with wide eyes. Severus recognized that the boy was still panicked, even once he had gotten his bearings, and summoned a vial of calming draught. "You didn't take one in the evening, I daresay you can have it now." Harry silently drank the potion and Severus continued talking. "Having heard the beginnings of your troubles tonight, I'm surprised this is the first nightmare I've heard from you. Did you have them often at school?" Harry nodded. "The potions are likely reducing them for now. Healing will help more in the long term than it does right now. What do you do after a nightmare during term?"

Harry took a moment to find his voice. "Common room. Wide open space."

"Would it help you to step outside?" A moment's hesitation, and a nod. Severus droned on about nothing while Harry put on slippers and a robe and followed him out of the bedroom. On their way outside, Severus retrieved a glass of water, which Harry gratefully drank. Under the night sky, Harry finally relaxed. He breathed in the fresh air and looked out over the empty streets. In the distance, he could see adverts for the Diagon shops with moving pictures and bright, blinking text. He was as far away from Privet Drive as could be.

When Harry fell asleep in the garden, Severus levitated him to bed for a second time. This time, when he met Lily's eyes she gave him a warm smile. "Thank you," she whispered to him as he returned to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Harry's Birthday

A/N: Parts of Harry's conversation with Dobby are copied directly from J. K. Rowling's second book, chapter 2. The letter from the Ministry is also copied. If it seems familiar, that's probably why and it isn't mine. The house elf voice is difficult to emulate, especially while Dobby is dancing around forbidden topics.

Following Harry's nightmare, he began to feel more comfortable around his professor and took to spending time reading in the sitting room in the afternoons rather than spending the whole day in his bedroom. That was where he was when Professor Snape approached him. "Your birthday is next week. What would you like to do?"

Harry was momentarily speechless. "D-do?"

"Yes. It is customary, on a child's birthday, to celebrate in some fashion."

Harry turned red. "I've never been allowed to before."

Severus closed his eyes and took a moment to process his immediate reaction. "Would you like to?"

"Yes." Harry thought for a moment. He didn't want to do anything big. It would only embarrass him and bother Snape. "Could we just invite my friends for dinner? And, maybe, Sirius and Remus?"

Severus swallowed his distaste for the mutts and reminded himself that it was not unreasonable for Harry to want his parents' friends present for his birthday. "I think that can be arranged."

Harry wrote invitations to Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Sirius and Remus for his birthday dinner, and Severus purchased a cake. It would be a simple celebration, but Harry was quietly ecstatic to be having it at all.

Friday morning, Harry's birthday, Severus gave Harry several letters and a package. From Hermione, he'd received a heartfelt letter and a book called _76 Lesser-Known Charms You Should Know_. He flipped through the book as his Mum read over his shoulder, and was pleased to find several interesting looking spells he hadn't heard of yet. The letter from Neville was just as long and sincere as Hermione's. From Ron he got a letter that was more of a note, really, but it seemed sincere. The last letter was from Malfoy which Harry found surprising, and was stiff and formal which he didn't. The majority of the day was like any other, though Harry noticed happily that Professor Snape served his favorite foods.

That afternoon, Harry was relaxing in the living room while Snape was downstairs brewing. Suddenly there was a loud pop, causing Harry to startle violently. He whipped his head around and saw a small, shriveled creature with large eyes and ears wearing what looked like a filthy pillowcase. Once he'd recovered his senses, he asked "Wha- who are you?"

"I is Dobby, sir. Dobby the house-elf."

Harry had heard of house elves from his classmates, and knew Hogwarts used them, but he was sure that if Professor Snape had an elf he'd know by now. "What are you doing here, Dobby?"

"Dobby has come to tell you, sir... it is difficult, sir... Dobby wonders where to begin..."

"If it's such a long story, maybe you should sit down." At Harry's suggestion, Dobby burst into tears and it took a panicked Harry several minutes to calm the elf down. "I'm sorry," said Harry. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Offend Dobby! Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal-"

Right. Harry had forgotten that most of his classmates' families considered house elves below them. "Well, I grew up away from the wizarding world, see, so no one ever taught me differently. I've never met a house elf before."

"Dobby has heard of Harry Potter sir's greatness but of your goodness, Dobby never knew."

Harry shifted awkwardly on the sofa. "I've got people coming over soon, Dobby. What did you need?"

"Oh, yes sir! Dobby has come to tell Harry Potter sir something! Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously but Dobby must warn Harry Potter, sir not to go back to Hogwarts."

"What? Dobby, I have to go back to school. I've got nowhere else to go, and I need to learn magic if I want to go anywhere in my life."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, "Harry Potter sir must stay where he is safe. Harry Potter sir will not be safe at Hogwarts!"

Lily had had enough. "Dobby," she said gently. "Harry's professors and I will keep him safe at school, but he's right that he needs to go. There isn't anywhere else for him to stay that's safe."

"Miss Lily Potter will not be able to keep Harry Potter sir safe. No, no, there is a plot. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year."

"I'm sure whatever is going on, we'll be able to handle it Dobby," Lily continued. "There are a lot of talented adult witches and wizards at Hogwarts ready to protect the students."

"Why does Harry Potter sir want to go back to Hogwarts when Harry Potter sir's friends don't write to Harry Potter?"

"My friends have been writing- wait. Have you been interfering with my post?"

Sheepishly, Dobby pulled a thin stack of letters from inside his pillowcase. It looked like the letters Harry's friends would have sent before they started redirecting them through Professor Snape. "Dobby had hoped Harry Potter would not want to go back to school if he thought his friends had forgotten him, sir."

"Well it didn't work, Dobby. Even if my friends hadn't been able to get letters to me another way I have to go back to school. I can't just choose not to."

"Then Harry Potter sir leaves Dobby no choice. Harry Potter sir must be expelled."

"What?" cried Harry, but it was no use. Dobby had already sprinted into the kitchen. Harry and Lily followed him there and saw the cake for his birthday dinner floating near the ceiling. "Dobby, please put that down."

"Dobby cannot, Harry Potter sir. Dobby is sorry." Then, the cake dropped to the floor without warning, and Dobby disappeared with a crack.

Harry stared at the mess for a moment, dumbfounded, before his breathing began to quicken. He sunk to the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make a mess. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Harry!" Lily called out to him, her cold hands brushing the surface of his arms and face. "Harry, you're safe."

At that moment, Severus came up the stairs. He saw the mess and the panicked child on the floor. "Harry, I'm going to go into your pocket for one of your calming draughts," he said as he reached out, moving slowly so as not to startle Harry worse. He retrieved the vial, and held it to Harry's lips. "Drink." Harry gulped down the potion, struggling for breath. Severus waited patiently until his breathing was regular and his eyes looked clear. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Just as Harry was about to explain, and owl flew in through the window that had been left open in the kitchen and dropped a letter between them. Harry looked at the Ministry seal and opened it with shaking hands.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this afternoon at twelve minutes past three._

_As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school. (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C)._

_We would ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offence under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy._

_Enjoy your holidays!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE_

_Ministry of Magic_

Harry's breathing began to quicken again. "I don't even have my wand, it wasn't me. He said he was going to get me expelled."

"Harry," said Lily. "It's okay. I saw what happened, Professor Snape and I will get this sorted out for you."

"Are you ready to tell me what transpired?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "A house elf, Dobby? He said he didn't want me to go back to school. He was blocking my letters. When I said I couldn't choose not to go back, he said he would get me expelled and levitated the cake. Then he dropped it and disappeared."

Severus looked at Lily for confirmation, and she nodded. "Did you say its name was Dobby?"

"Yes, sir. That's what he said."

"Dobby is a Malfoy house elf. I'll write to Lucius about this, he can ensure that Dobby doesn't bother you again."

"But won't Dobby be punished? I don't want him hurt."

"Harry, Dobby interfered with your post, tried to get you expelled from school, and sent you into a severe panic attack. Anyone who hurts you deserves punishment. The Malfoys are harsh with their elves, yes, but they would also never allow them to permanently damage themselves. Dobby will endure his punishment and learn from it."

Hesitantly, Harry nodded. He picked himself up off the floor, saying "I'll clean up this mess now."

"Nonsense. You did not cause it." Severus waved his wand and vanished the ruined cake. "I will look into replacing this before dinner tonight. You rest for now, panic can be exhausting."

Harry nodded, just realizing how heavy his limbs felt, and silently went to his room to take a nap.

Guests arrived about an hour before dinner, and Harry greeted everyone cheerfully as Severus brought them through the wards. Before eating, Harry opened presents from his friends. Theo gave him a set of luxury quills and spelled inks "to go with your journal", Daphne gave him a summer cloak in a green that matched his eyes, and Blaise gave him a book on the history behind common wizarding customs. Harry hadn't expected a gift from Professor Snape, but was pleased to unwrap a set of less common potions ingredients. All of these gifts were exciting, but Harry was absolutely floored when he unwrapped Sirius and Remus' gift- a Nimbus 2001. "I thought you might want to try out for the Quiddich team like your dad, Pup. Even if you don't, it should be fun to fly." Harry grinned widely and threw his arms around Sirius' waist in a hug while his friends stroked the broom handle with wide eyes.

Dinner was delicious, and Severus had successfully replaced the ruined cake. Harry's classmates left not long after they finished eating, but Sirius and Remus stayed behind. Sirius gave Harry a look that was more serious, for lack of a better word, than Harry had ever seen the man. "I have something else for you, Harry. It's less of a gift, and it's completely up to you what you do with these, but by all rights you should have them." He pulled a box out of an expanded pocket in his robe and gave it to Harry. Inside were three Heir's rings - one for each house that Harry was set to inherit - and a silver chain. "I just ask that if you decide not to wear them, you keep them somewhere safe. They're not replaceable if something happens to them. The chain is in case you want to keep them concealed. All of it is charmed so that only the wearer can remove it." Harry nodded thoughtfully, and put the Potter and Black rings on. The Slytherin ring, he put on the chain and clasped it around his neck.

"Before we go," Sirius turned to Professor Snape. "I want to apologize to you. The way we treated you in school wasn't okay. Going to a Mind Healer and seeing the way you've helped my Godson has shown me that. So, I'm sorry."

Severus was surprised, but nodded gratefully after a moment. "I can tell you've matured. I suppose I can also set aside the grudges I've held. And it's not as if I was blameless, so I suppose I too offer my apologies."

Lily smiled, and would have teared up if she could, to see two of the men she'd cared about for so long finally treating each other with civility. Harry went to bed almost immediately after the living Marauders left with a smile on his face.

A/N: I just want to say that I do think the Malfoys treat their elves horribly, and that will be addressed later, but in this moment it was more important for Harry to see that his feelings are important and that he deserves protection and care when someone wrongs him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Back to School

A/N: Lockhart's speech was copied directly from JKR's second book, chapter 4. She made him enough of an idiot for now. I just changed Harry's (and Lily's) reactions around a bit to fit them.

August of 1992 for Harry was one of those times that drag on lazily in the moment, but when you look back it feels like the blink of an eye. Harry continued to see Healer Shabani weekly, and arranged to have sessions via the Floo in Professor Snape's office while he was at school. He grew more comfortable in the professor's home, but still took two or three calming draughts a day. Agim assured him that was okay, and he didn't need to rush himself in reducing his use of the medication. Severus looked over Lily's notes on the ritual she had used on Harry, and discussed them with her in the living room on occasion. Harry wrote letters and read his new books and relaxed as much as possible. The one day that stuck out in his memory was his trip into the Alley to do his school shopping.

It started out normally, as unusual days tend to. Sirius went along with Harry and Professor Snape, and the two adults got along better since Harry's birthday. The Alley was busy, and none of them were entirely sure why they'd gone on the day the supply list came out when they could have easily gone at any time - Severus lived just off Diagon Alley and knew the supply list by heart - other than because it was the way it was done. Harry got a new trunk, since his belongings had expanded beyond the capacity of the basic one he'd gotten the year before, and restocked on quills, ink, and parchment. Professor Snape insisted on selecting Harry's potions ingredients for him to ensure their quality, and all that was left were Harry's books.

Professor Snape had sneered spectacularly at the collection of Lockhart books on the list this year, and that sneer returned in full force when they arrived at Flourish and Blotts to find it completely filled with people, packed like sardines, and a sign out front announcing a book signing by Gilderoy Lockhart himself. He proclaimed he was waiting outside in a tone that left no room for argument, so Sirius went in with Harry.

At first, they struggled to weave through the crowd. Fed up, Lily passed ahead of her living companions. The ghostly chill she emanated cleared a path for them easily, and Harry was able to retrieve his Standard Book of Spells Grade 2 and all seven required Lockhart books much more quickly than expected. He had just paid and was making his way out when they were spotted by the turquoise-clad wizard.

"Well, if it isn't the Potters!" A murmur went around the store as those on the opposite side of the room craned their necks to try to get a look at the famous mother-son duo. Harry flinched when Lockhart reached out to grab his bicep, but was unfortunately still just within the overly cheerful wizard's reach. "Smile, you two! Together we all rate the front page!" he proclaimed loudly as a camera flashed and smoked in the hands of a Daily Prophet reporter.

"Now, listen! What are you doing, making my son clearly uncomfortable like this! Is it even allowed to photograph minors without consent?" Lily ranted at Lockhart and the reporter, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Lockhart began pontificating again.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lockhart said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography — which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —" The crowd applauded as Harry looked at the man still holding his arm as if he'd gone around the bend. "He had no idea," Lockhart continued, oblivious, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Harry grimaced and managed to pull himself free as Lockhart shoved an entire stack of books into his arms. He saw Ginny Weasley not far away, and remembered Ron's collection of second-hand supplies last year on the train. After pushing his way over to her, he offered her the books. Her ears turned a bit red and she tried to stammer out something that might have been a polite refusal had her father and Lucius Malfoy not gotten into a brawl at that exact moment. Harry took that as his cue to leave before things got even more out of hand, and found Sirius at the door to the building.

When the paper came out the next day, the picture on the front page would have been funny if it weren't so embarrassing. Lockhart grinned charmingly, his likeness preening even worse than the real thing while photo-Harry tried desperately to pull himself out of the frame, held in view by Lockhart's grip on his arm. Lily's slightly indistinct image scowled furiously and scolded the man. Harry didn't even bother to look at the article this picture accompanied.

And so, Harry found himself on the Hogwarts Express, sharing a compartment with his friends as they gently ribbed him for the bookshop incident. They could all agree that Lockhart was a loon, and having read the books he wrote only reinforced that opinion. Even Daphne and Blaise, who admitted that the man was good looking, were not in favor of their new Defense teacher. "There is no way what he's written in these books could be true," stated Daphne, "and as a Slytherin I cannot respect someone who falsifies their achievements in such an obvious way." Blaise nodded along, and the conversation turned to the latest in wizarding fashion. Harry listened with more interest than he would have a year ago, but struggled to follow along.

As the students piled into carriages at the Hogsmeade station, Harry noticed Blaise looking warily at the thestrals. He made eye contact with his friend, subtly shifted his eyes between his Mum and the skeletal beasts, and smiled ruefully. It seemed to relax his friend to know he wasn't the only one seeing them, and they boarded the carriage with the rest of their group.

During the sorting, Harry was listening to his friends' comments about which house each magically-raised person would end up in based on family history and their experiences with the kids at various events. They were right on almost every count. It seemed to Harry like gossips could sort the students if something ever happened to the hat. "Weasley, Ginevra" was the last to be called and everyone was ready to eat. What was expected to be a quick sorting, however, turned into a hatstall. Whispers went around the Great Hall as the people who filled it became either agitated or interested. Harry saw Ginny stiffen, then slump as if in defeat a split second before the hat called out "SLYTHERIN!"

It was almost an exact repeat of Harry's sorting the previous year - silence, broken first by Ron Weasley's applause. Harry joined him, and gradually the rest of the students all managed to give at least a couple of claps before the Headmaster called for silence. He said only, "Let us eat!" as the tables groaned under the weight of the food. Harry caught the red-headed girl's eye from down the table and smiled encouragingly at her, seeing that she was still paler than a person should naturally be. She smiled weakly back at him before Draco Malfoy drew his attention away from Harry's other side.

Headmaster Dumbledore ended the feast with a speech similar to last year's, for those who could remember it. "I'd like to introduce this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart!"

"It's as if he already knows the fool will only be around for a year," muttered Theo. "The position is cursed."

"The Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden as is magic in the halls between classes and a list of three hundred and ninety-eight joke items that can be found in Argus Filch's office for anyone interested. Just like last year, the third floor corridor on the left-hand side will bring a painful death to all who enter it so I recommend it is avoided. Now, our beds are calling us and it's time we answer them!"

Harry woke up the next morning to see that nothing had changed in the boys' sleep schedules over the summer. The only other bed that was empty was Theo's, and Harry could hear the shower running from the bathroom. In the common room, he was surprised to see Ginny Weasley hunched over a mostly blank parchment. He sat down beside her, stepping heavily in his approach and moving slowly so he didn't startle her.

It didn't work.

Harry glanced at the parchment, which bore only the words _Dear Mum and Dad_. "Still worried about your sorting?"

Ginny appeared to wrestle with herself for a moment before she answered. "Yes. I thought this might happen, but I hoped it wouldn't."

"Why?"

"How will my parents react? Weasleys and Prewetts are always Gryffindors. All six of my brothers, both of my parents, my uncles and grandparents..."

"When Harry was sorted," began Lily gently, "I wasn't any less proud of him. I was glad that he was in a house where, presumably, he would fit in and be happy. I'm sure your parents want the same thing for you."

Ginny bit her lip and nodded. "If it were any other house I wouldn't be worried at all, but Slytherin's reputation..."

"How did your parents feel about Ron writing to me, a Slytherin, over the summer?"

"They were alright with it- but you're the Boy-Who-Lived, and a Potter! I don't think they thought of you the way they think about the rest of the house."

"You're their daughter," said Lily firmly. "I don't think they'll think of you the same way either. And if they do, the problem isn't with you." Ginny relaxed, and smiled gratefully at the ghost. Theo walked into the common room just as they finished talking.

"I've got to go see Madame Pomfrey before breakfast. I'll see you around?"

Ginny nodded vigorously, and dipped her quill into her inkwell. "I've got to write home before my brothers do. Mum and Dad'll give me hell for sure if they don't hear about my sorting from me," she said with much more humor in her voice than she had at the start of the day.

Theo walked with Harry to the hospital wing without question. Harry was glad, since Theo already knew about the Dursleys and he wasn't sure what Madame Pomfrey would be like. It was easier to face these things with a friend.

As it turned out, Harry hadn't needed to worry. Madame Pomfrey was as stern and business-like as ever. "Here are your morning potions, Mr. Potter, and your calming draughts," she said briskly as she handed him the vials. He struggled to take the potions quickly enough to keep up. "I'm going to run a quick diagnostic charm to check your progress now that you've been on the nutrient potions for the whole summer, and then we'll see about that arm."

Harry had gained some weight over the summer, but not as much height as his Healer had hoped he would. Luckily, his bone density was up enough that Madame Pomfrey could re-set his poorly healed wrist without it needing extra time to heal. Magic was truly a wonderful thing. "This will hurt. Do you want a potion?"

Harry shook his head. The one time he'd taken a pain potion with his calming draughts this summer had left him feeling unpleasantly light-headed. He wanted to avoid a repeat of that unless he was in really severe pain. Madame Pomfrey, to her credit, didn't argue with his choice. With a wave of her wand, his wrist snapped in exactly the place it had been broken three years previously. Harry barely flinched, which made a crease form in the mediwitch's brow. Another wave of her wand mended the bone with a crack. Madame Pomfrey made one more offer of a pain potion before sending Harry on his way.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Quidditch

The Slytherin second year's schedule was essentially the same as their first year, minus flying lessons of course. That meant the first day of classes started with Potions, where they were studying the ingredient preparation for the strengthening solution they would brew soon. Harry did better in the class than he ever had before, and earned ten points for Slytherin when he answered each of the professor's questions correctly. Everyone knew History would amount to nothing, and brought their own books. After lunch in double Transfiguration, they attempted to turn a beetle into a button. "In what situation am I going to have a beetle handy, and need a button?" Harry griped, but he was still one of the first few in the class to manage the transfiguration.

Defense was the first class of the day on Thursday, but the Slytherins were waylaid on the way there by a tiny blonde boy, who was bouncing excitedly on his toes and holding a camera. "Hi! You're the Potters, aren't you? My name is Colin Creevy. I'm a Gryffindor first year. I've heard all about you two and was wondering if I could take your picture? My parents aren't magical so I'm trying to send as many photos to them as I can, and I'd love to be able to prove that I've met the biggest heroes in the wizarding world!"

Harry was just as uncomfortable as he had been with Lockhart in Flourish and Blotts. Luckily Creevy was a child and not a celebrity with an inflated ego, and he was therefore much more likely to listen to Lily. "Colin," she began. "Harry is just trying to go to school and learn like you are. He doesn't want to be treated like a hero here. Does that make sense?"

Creevy was thoroughly chastised, his face turning red as he looked down at his feet. "'m sorry," he mumbled.

Lily took pity on the boy, of course. "It's okay, Colin. I was Muggleborn too, I know how exciting it is to discover this new world, and I'm betting you're a fantastic photographer. Just try to be a bit more considerate, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled before turning and running down the hall.

"Thanks, Mum," said Harry as he and his friends resumed the walk to Defense.

"Of course, baby."

Lockhart opened the class by giving a speech about all of his achievements, which the Slytherins quietly mocked from the back of the room. If it were any other teacher Lily would have chided them for rudeness, but she was still angry over the bookshop incident and didn't believe the fraud of a wizard deserved to be respected as a teacher.

The speech was followed by a reading quiz comprised of fifty-four questions about Lockhart and his personal life. Harry simply refused to answer any of the questions. When he'd collected the quizzes, Lockhart loudly bemoaned his students lack of knowledge before awarding ten points to Gryffindor for Pavarti Patil's perfect score. She blushed and tittered as Lockhart praised her for knowing his not-so-secret ambition.

Once Lockhart put down the stack of quizzes, his demeanor changed suddenly. It was clear he was going for serious and dramatic, but he came across more along the lines of constipated. Patil didn't seem to notice. When he said he'd be exposing them to their greatest fears, Harry was admittedly a bit concerned. He fingered one of the calming draughts in his pocket and wondered if he'd be able to take it without anyone noticing. Granted, they would definitely notice if he had a panic attack. Since he was sitting in the back row, and Lockhart had his back turned, Harry decided to do it.

It was because Harry had taken the calming draught that he was able to think clearly enough to help round up the pixies that Lockhart released. He remembered the seize and pull charm from the book Hermione had given him for his birthday, and decided to try it. It took a couple of attempts, since he'd never used it practically before, but soon a jet of light was extending from his wand, grabbing the pixies two or three at a time and pulling them to where Harry had placed himself by the cage. His friends saw what he was doing, and started hitting the pixies with impediment charms to make them easier targets for him. One of the Gryffindors, Finnegan, had decided just to burn the pixies. Or maybe he hadn't decided to and that was just his penchant for accidental explosions. Harry wasn't terribly interested in finding out either way.

The rest of classes were boring in comparison, and Harry found himself grateful. By Friday afternoon's Defense lesson, Lockhart seemed to have thought better about giving practical lessons and had switched to reenactments of scenes from his books. At first Lily refused his request that she play the part of the monster, but when he turned his sights on her son she changed her tune. The class was spent dying of repressed laughter as Lockhart tried to goad Lily into playing her part with more "enthusiasm" and she intentionally became blander still with every request.

Quidditch tryouts for the Slytherin team were that Saturday, and Harry had decided to attend. In flying lessons first year, they'd done numerous pickup games and Harry knew he was a brilliant seeker. The open positions this year were seeker, keeper, and one of the chaser spots. Draco Malfoy was the only other second year trying out. They were joined by a couple of third and fourth years.

They started with the chaser position, each of the hopefuls running several chaser drills with the two seventh years on the team. Because Captain Flint was flying, Terrence Higgs took note on each person's flight speed, finesse, and cohesiveness with the existing chasers. Fourth year Cassius Warrington, the older Slytherin who had helped bring Harry to the hospital wing once last year, was chosen.

Not one person in attendance wanted to try out for the keeper position, so Flint declared that everyone would be going through the keeper drills. Warrington and Pucey flew against each hopeful while they tried to block as many shots as they could. Harry performed abysmally. His Nimbus 2001 got him to the hoops that needed guarding easily enough, but he was so small that he flinched away from most of the balls and the couple he did block nearly unseated him from his broom. No one was more surprised than Draco when he was the top performer and given the position. He wasn't ecstatic about it, having hoped to play either of the other positions, but he was happy to get to play. After being passed over for chaser, Draco had known his chances of getting seeker against Harry were slim at best.

For the seeker trials, several golden snitches were released and the three people vying for the spot had to catch as many as they could in a free-for-all. Harry caught every one. Everyone had to try not to laugh as Lily was pulled around the field by the speed of her son's broom.

Flint took great pleasure in interrupting the first Gryffindor team practice, bearing a note from Professor Snape granting them special permission to train their new team members. Oliver Wood spluttered and turned red, and then even redder when the team showed off their new Nimbus 2001s that Lucius Malfoy had purchased to celebrate Draco's placement on the team. (There was even one for Harry, despite him already having the model, so it was being stored in the Slytherin locker rooms in case of emergencies.)

"They're so in love it's disgusting," Malfoy muttered under his breath as Flint and Wood found themselves chest-to-chest. Harry looked at him incredulously, and Lily stifled a sigh. It seemed she was doomed to always be surrounded by oblivious boys. First Severus, then Sirius and Remus, and now it seemed her own son wouldn't recognize attraction if it knocked on his door.

Harry loved flying, and loved quidditch. The rest of the team grew accustomed to flying with a ghost relatively quickly, and Flint was confident that by their first match against Gryffindor, this team would be unbeatable.

A/N: I've made a list of the Slytherins in Ginny's year, since I wasn't able to find a canonical reference. (Not surprising, since canon doesn't pay much attention to the house.) Here is what I've come up with.

Girls: Ginny Weasley, Lillith Moon (based on the character with the last name Moon in Harry's year, since I didn't include them in Book 1), Flora and Hestia Carrow (the Carrow twins were present in the Great Hall during the Battle of Hogwarts so we know they attended Hogwarts in this era), Elizabeth Burke (shares the name of an ancestor who was headmistress prior to the 1920s, was raised in Spain by a distant cousin who was neutral in the war to escape her family's reputation, English is her second language because of this), Mareca Snyde (the younger cousin of Merula Snyde, her parents were also Death Eaters who were imprisoned after the war and she was raised with blood purist beliefs)

Boys: Anuman Chankul (born and raised in Thailand, a halfblood with one Muggle parent but that isn't as important in his culture as it is in the UK, Buddhist, speaks English as a second language), Cassianus Selwyn (from a different branch of the family than the well-known Death Eaters, but faces scorn by those who don't know that), Isaac Fawley (a pureblood, but one of the few minor surprises at the sorting as most of his relatives have been Hufflepuffs)

I also shifted the Slytherin Quiddich team around a bit, so here's their roster for the 1992-1993 school year.

-Marcus Flint, 7th year, captain, chaser

-Adrian Pucey, 7th year, chaser, GIRL

-open chaser spot – Cassius Warrington, 4th year

-Miles Bletchley, 4th year, beater

-Terrence Higgs, 4th year, beater

-open keeper spot - Malfoy

-open seeker spot - Harry


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Halloween 1992

Harry noticed a few things in September and October. Ginny Weasley, whose parents had easily taken her sorting in stride, seemed isolated from the other Slytherins in her year. Blaise was agitated and secretive a lot. And there was a female voice that no one else could hear coming from the walls, which sounded alternately violent and confused. He'd worked out with Lily's help that the voice was speaking in Parseltongue, which made him feel better about being the only one hearing it. Hagrid was worried as well, since something was killing the Hogwarts roosters and he couldn't figure out what it might be.

The Deathday Party invitation was more for Lily than for Harry, but the two were a package deal. The Hogwarts ghosts were embarrassed by their oversight in not inviting her the previous year, but Lily was gracious about it. Harry's familiarity with ghosts warned him to dress warmly and eat before the party, and a good time was had by all despite the gloomy decorations and rotting food. The Grey Lady, a rare sight for anyone not in Ravenclaw, was at the edge of the room clearly avoiding the Bloody Baron. Numerous ghosts Harry didn't recognize mingled around the room. Nearly Headless Nick was of course the center of attention, with the Fat Friar jovially joining in on reenactments of Sir Nicholas' botched beheading and stories of heroism. Lily gave in after a gentle cajoling, and the ghosts in attendance were given a rare recounting of some of her war stories. When the Headless Hunt arrived and made things awkward, Lily suggested that it was time Harry got to celebrate before the school feast ended.

They never made it to the feast, of course. Harry heard the distressed cries of the serpentine voice again. _"So hungry. Do I kill? I don't obey but I hunger. I smell BLOOD."_ Curious, and not altogether too interested in the feast, Harry followed the voice. Down a corridor near the Great Hall, he began to hear a more human wailing and the floor became wet. Watching his feet so as not to slip, he didn't see Mrs. Norris until he ran into her, hanging by her tail near a girl's bathroom and stiff as a board. His curiosity wasn't worth this, but as he turned to leave he heard the rest of the school approaching from the end of the feast.

Students came to an abrupt halt where Harry stood in front of words painted in red on the wall, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware."

"Enemies of the Heir! You're next, Mudbloods!" shouted Draco Malfoy in a show of pure idiocy. Only the student body's shocked fixation on Harry saved him from the consequences of his words. Suddenly, Filch bore down on Harry. Pinned to the wall by his shoulder with an angry man's face hovering above him, Harry began to shake uncontrollably.

"You've killed her! You've killed my cat!"

Lily knew trying to calm Harry down while Filch was still shouting in his face was useless, so turned her attention to the source of the problem. "Harry didn't do anything! We've been at the Death Day party when Harry heard a- noise from this way. This is just an unlucky coincidence, Mr. Filch!"

Filch growled, but let go of Harry to turn on his mum. "A likely story. You died for the kid, you'd definitely lie for him too. I'll have the boy expelled for this!"

Theo had rushed to Harry's side as soon as he'd been released. Unfortunately, Harry had used all of his calming draughts already since it had been a stressful day. While Lily argued with the Hogwarts caretaker, Theo spoke to Harry in low soothing tones and encouraged him to regulate his breathing. The headmaster had already declared the cat petrified, not dead, and dispersed the onlookers with an authoritative look by the time Harry came back to himself.

"Did he say expelled?" Harry questioned his Mum.

Dumbledore, misinterpreting Harry's concern, rushed to reassure the child. "You won't be expelled, my boy. This would have taken powerful Dark magic to achieve. Between your age and your sensitivity to the Dark, there is no way you could be the culprit."

"Well- good, but I thought Mum had already cleared that part of things up. We were at the Death Day party. I was just wondering, because what if this had to do with Dobby?"

"The Malfoys should have expressly forbidden Dobby to interfere with your schooling after your birthday," Lily responded thoughtfully. Albus was shocked silent, not having heard about the incident at Professor Snape's house. "It may be possible he's found a loophole."

The aged wizard found his voice again. "This is not the work of a house elf, either. Elf magic may be able to temporarily freeze a living being, but petrification is beyond them." Suddenly, he seemed to notice that Harry was soaking wet and shivering from being curled up on the ground. "You'd best get back to your common room and get changed now, before you catch cold. Run along, boys."

Back in the Slytherin common room, Malfoy was talking animatedly to his group of friends and the few interested first years about how much better off Hogwarts would be now that Slytherin's chamber was opened. Harry perked up minutely when he heard the association with Slytherin, and shared eye contact with Theo said that the other boy had noticed too. By the time Harry was in dry robes and they came back out into the common room, the prefects had managed to calm everyone down for the annual remembrance rituals.

Harry once again lit only one candle, for his father, and sat in quiet contemplation with his friends around him. Blaise lit a candle this year as well, and Harry remembered his friend's reaction to the thestrals. Lily seemed to remember too, because she quietly offered him a listening ear or her own brand of motherly support any time he wanted it.

Harry and Theo remained in the common room until everyone else had left, which took a frustratingly long time. Harry was exhausted following his panic attack, but didn't want to go to bed until he talked to Slytherin about what happened. With a final glance around to ensure they were alone, Harry approached the silent painting on the wall.

_"Hello, Salazar."_

_"Hello my young Heir. What troubles you tonight?"_

_"The caretaker's cat has been petrified, and a note written on the wall saying the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. I heard Malfoy say the chamber is yours, is that true?"_

Salazar nodded gravely. _"I did indeed build the chamber. But- you are not the one who opened it?"_

_"No! I've never even heard of it before tonight. And I don't like Filch but I wouldn't hurt his cat!"_

_"That is concerning. As my rightful heir, you should be the only one able to open the chamber. You have no siblings who could also have inherited my gift?"_

_"No, none."_

_"Then something sinister may be afoot."_

_"Dobby, a house elf, told me there was a plot to make terrible things happen here this year. Could this be it?"_

_"It could. I built the Chamber of Secrets to give Hogwarts a weapon to protect her in case of an attack, but sealed it with a lock that responds only to Parseltongue so that only my heirs could access it. If someone else has opened it, it could easily be misused and turned on the students it is meant to protect."_

_"What's in it?"_

_"A basilisk. Her name is Griswalde, and she is meant only to answer to my heirs."_

_"I think I've been hearing her in the walls. If someone else tried to command her, would she be confused and distressed?"_

_"She certainly would. Oh, my poor Gris."_

_"So, basilisks petrify people?"_

_"That is the least of what she can do. Seeing the eyes of a basilisk indirectly will lead to petrification, but direct eye contact is deadly and the basilisk's poison can destroy anything with just a drop."_

_"Oh. Mrs. Norris was lucky, then. But how- he's not dead."_

_"Pardon me?"_

_"The previous Heir who my mum killed. He still exists in a twisted, barely alive kind of way. There is a prophecy that says he'll rise and I'll bring about his final death. If he's not really dead, could he still be the heir?"_

_"If Magic recognizes you as my heir, then that is the truth. But if he has risen somehow and retained the ability of Parseltongue, he could be the one commanding Griswalde now."_

Harry gulped. _"Thank you for telling me all of this."_

_"Of course, my heir."_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Taking Care

Harry's first instinct was to tell Professor Snape about the basilisk and the false-Heir-that-was-probably-Voldemort. His mum was proud that he felt he could rely on an adult to help, but pointed out he would have to tell the professor that he was a Parselmouth. Even though he already knew that Harry was Slytherin's Heir, Harry didn't want to share that information just now. His second instinct was to go to the Chamber and try to fix it himself, which Lily absolutely forbid.

"You are not risking your life over a petrified cat, Harry. There are adults here whose job it is to keep the school safe."

Harry sighed and nodded. His Mum had a point. "I can't just do nothing, though. What if it's a student next? What if the next person Gris runs into isn't so lucky and dies?"

Lily bit her lip. "It might be possible for you to go to Professor Snape and give him some of the details, but not all of them. I'll keep him from pressing you if he asks too many questions." Both of them could live with that solution, so Harry went to knock on Professor Snape's office door as soon as he had time.

"Sir, I know something about the Chamber."

Severus raised his eyebrows, and brought Harry into his office. "Take a seat, Mr. Potter. What do you know?"

"Well, remember how I'm Slytherin's Heir?" It was something they hadn't discussed that summer, but Harry was confident that Professor Snape wouldn't have forgotten.

"I do."

"Well, that's because the last Heir was You-Know-Who. When Mum killed him the night she died, she became the Heir and passed it to me. The writing on the wall said 'enemies of the Heir', but I obviously didn't open the Chamber. At first I didn't realize, but- but remember how You-Know-Who was possessing Quirrell last year and isn't fully dead?" Severus nodded to encourage Harry to go on. It wasn't as if he could forget that revelation. "I think he's somehow behind this."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "That makes sense, Mr. Potter, and it fits with what we know." Teaching wasn't supposed to involve this many Dark Lords. "Do you have anything else to tell me about the situation?"

Harry hesitated. "Not right now." It wasn't a lie.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. I will share this information with the others who are looking into it. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

The common room was mostly deserted since it was such a nice day, but Harry found Ginny Weasley sitting by herself in a corner looking pale and ill. He sat down beside her. "Are you okay?"

Ginny, having been oblivious to Harry's approach, jumped in surprise. "Oh, er. Yeah." Her voice squeaked and was entirely unconvincing.

"Okay." Harry stopped and thought for a moment. "I never see you with anybody else. Are you getting along alright?"

"I don't know. I don't really feel like I fit in with anyone here. My family's never been traditional, you know? Even though we're purebloods."

"Well I didn't exactly grow up traditionally either," Harry joked. It got a weak smile from Ginny. "I was still able to find friends. Some of our classmates might care, but I bet you can find ones who don't too. No one expected Fawley to be a Slytherin, the two of you might get along well. And isn't Chankul from somewhere in Asia?"

"Thailand."

"Yeah. So he'd have grown up with different traditions then some of our other housemates. Snyde hangs around Malfoy, so I'd avoid her. I don't really know any of the other people in your year but it never hurts to try."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"And if you don't have any luck with your yearmates, I'm sure my friends wouldn't mind if you came and sat with us in the common room sometimes."

Ginny smiled a little bigger now. "Thanks Harry. You're a good person."

Harry flashed her a genuine smile back. "Any time. You're looking a bit pale. Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should see Madame Pomfrey."

Ginny took a deep breath. "I've been pretty tired, and-" She paused, eyes wide like she hadn't realized what she was about to say. "Yeah, maybe I will go see her."

"Good. Come talk to me anytime you want, alright?"

Ginny nodded absently, and Harry stood up to go to his dorm room. He could use some time to himself after yesterday.

Harry was surprised to find that the dorm wasn't empty. When he walked in, Blaise hurriedly tucked something under his pillow. His shoulders relaxed when he saw that it was Harry, but he didn't take whatever he hid back out.

"Hi, Blaise."

"Hi, Harry." Blaise sounded low. Harry had noticed all year that his friend had been alternating between depression and irritability.

"You doing okay?" he asked, genuine concern apparent in his voice.

Blaise appeared to wrestle with himself for a moment before his shoulders sagged. "Not really."

"You wanna talk? You can sit on my bed and we can close the curtains in case anyone comes in." The curtains in the Slytherin dorms had privacy spells woven into them, conscious of the need for privacy Slytherin students often felt. Blaise nodded, and moved to join Harry.

"Do you want me to stay outside the curtains?" asked Lily.

"No," said Blaise. "I might want your advice. What you said last night about a listening ear meant a lot to me." Once the curtains were closed, Blaise took a fortifying breath. "What I'm about to say needs to stay private. You need to promise me."

"I promise," said Harry.

"I promise as long as your safety isn't an issue," added Lily.

Blaise nodded. "Thank you. It's not. I'm safe. It's- about my mother." Pause. "I'm sure you've both heard the rumors that she's a black widow. They're not just rumors, they're true." Lily was more surprised than Harry at the confirmation. Harry's friends had very colorful families, and he took it all in stride. Lily tended to see the best in people until it became impossible, and was therefore less swayed by rumors like this. "That's not the problem- or not directly. I've always known the rumors were true. Mother has had seven wealthy husbands in my lifetime, and all of them have died 'accidental' deaths. She doesn't take her husbands' names when she marries, and she didn't give me my father's name either."

Harry and Lily stayed silent to let Blaise speak, Harry nodding encouragingly. Blaise took another breath. "This summer another of my stepfathers died. I wouldn't be too bothered by it - I barely knew the man, and I'm used to this happening. I never get attached to stepfathers. But- I walked in on it."

Lily breathed an "Oh." Realization dawned on Harry's face. "The thestrals."

Blaise swallowed. "Yeah. It freaked me out pretty badly when I could see them. I thought the carriages were charmed to move or something."

"I think most people think that. I noticed the thestrals last year, I assume I've always been able to see them. But- how are you handling this? Have you told anyone else?"

"Not very well. No. I'm afraid to tell anyone. I don't want my mother to be arrested. I love her. And she loves me too. And I still feel safe with her. It's just-"

"A shock," finished Lily.

"Yeah. A shock."

It was Lily's turn to fortify herself. "During the war, I killed people. And I don't mean Voldemort, everyone knows that. Other Death Eaters." This was news to Harry. His mum almost never talked about the war, and now he was hearing about it for the second time in two days. None of the stories last night had involved her killing anyone, either. "The first time, it was in a battle with the Order. We'd managed to interrupt a raid on a Muggleborn's home. Being Muggleborn myself, I took it pretty personally. Without even thinking about it, I used the killing curse and it worked. Afterwards, even though the person I killed had been on the other side of a war from me and about to kill someone innocent, I was in shock. I imagine it was similar to how you're feeling now."

"How did you handle it?"

"I talked about it, mostly. I talked with James and Sirius, who were with me when it happened, because I knew I didn't have to worry about their reactions. Once I felt ready, I told someone who hadn't witnessed it. They were surprised, but when they didn't condemn me for it I knew I could forgive myself. You can talk to us about it as much as you need to to help you process what you saw," Harry nodded vigorously in confirmation. "And once you feel ready you should talk to your mother about it too. The people who love you want to support you, but it's likely she has no idea how you feel about what you saw."

Blaise nodded. "He was a magizoologist. She got a Runespoor somewhere. They're XXXX creatures, you have to be a specialist to handle them. She used the imperius curse on it to force it to bite him, and he died of the venom. I walked in just when she directed it towards him. He died quickly, and I was so shocked that I couldn't move. I saw the whole thing." Blaise shuddered at the memory. "Mother saw me standing there when she went to move his body, and just greeted me normally. I suppose she's accustomed to death, desensitized to it, and she probably doesn't even know I was there when he was still alive. Before this summer I didn't think it would affect me like this, seeing someone die- killed. But I guess knowing something happens and seeing it are two different things."

"They are," said Lily, "and your reaction is natural. Especially since you're still young. You're only twelve. Even among your classmates who are adults, most of them have probably never witnessed death."

Blaise nodded. "So that's why I've been so off lately. At least most of the reason. Thanks for listening."

"Of course, Blaise. You're one of my best friends," Harry responded immediately. "Was there something else bothering you, too? You said that's most of the reason."

"There's another thing, but it's so small in comparison."

"If something bothers you, then it matters. That's something my, er, well it's something my Mind Healer told me this summer."

Blaise considered Harry's words. If he was surprised that his friend was seeing a Mind Healer, he didn't show it. "I've always looked up to my mother, but lately I've wanted to, I don't know, be more like her I guess? Not the murder part, I think we've discovered I don't have the stomach for that. But the- feminine part? But I don't feel that way all the time, either. It's gotten worse now that we're getting older. I don't always feel like I like my body? What bothers me most is that I don't know why. I don't think any of the other guys feel this way, or I'd hear about it, wouldn't I?"

Harry nodded, then spoke in his most helpful tone of voice. "I can't say I can relate to that. But I think that whatever makes you feel good is probably what's right for you. Healer Shabani has also been teaching me that I should pay attention to what I want and need and try to act on it. I'd assume the same is true for you."

"Yeah. When you came in, I was looking at a book of cosmetic charms that I took from my mother's collection. I kind of want to try them out."

"If that's what you want to do, I won't bother you about it," Harry replied with a smile.

Blaise smiled back, more relaxed than Harry had seen him in a long time. "Thanks. And- if you ever want to talk about anything that's bothering you, you can talk to me."

"I already talk to a few people who sort of know the story already, but I'll keep that in mind if I ever want a fresh perspective. Healer Shabani does say I should talk about it more. Now go back to your bed, I still have time for a nap before dinner!"

Blaise laughed, and left Harry behind with the curtains swinging shut behind him. Harry turned to his mum. "Sometimes I feel like a mum, the way I want to take care of everyone. You did this to me," he said lightly.

"I raised a compassionate son, I see no problem with that. Now don't forget to take care of yourself too. Take that nap." Harry laid down and did just that.

Two days later, Blaise found a book tucked discreetly into his bag. _How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide to Gender Identity in the Wizarding World_ by Alex Iantaffi. A section on nonbinary identities was bookmarked with a note in Harry's handwriting that said "Found this in the library - maybe it will help?" Blaise smiled and put the book back in his bag, vowing to read it later.

A/N: The book Harry finds for Blaise is based on a real book called How to Understand Your Gender Identity: A Practical Guide to Understanding Who You Are by the same author. I haven't read the book, but I do know it includes nonbinary identities and its Amazon reviews are positive. If I'd ever read a self-help book while exploring my gender, I'd reference that one so I knew I was giving quality information but I didn't so you get what you get.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Secrets of the Chamber

The whole school was in a flurry in the weeks following the attack on Mrs. Norris, desperate to find out what the Chamber of Secrets was and who the 'enemies of the heir' might be. In every class, students pushed professors with questions until they were forced to take points or threaten detentions to maintain order. Harry heard from Ron that in the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw History class, Hermione had even asked Professor Binns what he knew. In his answer, Binns had called her "Miss Grant" and given no useful information.

Daphne came storming into the common room just before curfew one night, declaring the library useless in the tone of voice she used when she wanted her friends to ask what was wrong, so Harry took the bait.

"Every copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ is checked out, and the waiting list is months long."

Privately, Harry was sure that Daphne was exaggerating the length of the waiting list, as she tended to when she was worked up like this, but he ignored it. "What do you want with that book? I'm sure you know everything in it."

"It mentions the Chamber, someone said, and now everyone wants to get their hands on a copy."

Harry heaved a sigh and traded meaningful looks with Theo. "Come with me, all of you," he said in a defeated tone of voice, and led his friends into the boys dorm. "Pile on the bed, we need the privacy charms." As an afterthought, he added "Really ought to learn to cast them, this is a bit crowded."

The curtains barely closed and Lily had to hover above their heads to be inside them, but the group felt the privacy spells engage. Harry's chest was tight. "Theo already knows some of this, because he was around when I learned it. I thought about telling the rest of you last year, but time got away from me and then this year with what's happened it didn't seem like a good idea to tell anyone- but I know I can trust you guys and then you'll be able to stop wondering."

"You're rambling, Harry."

"Right. Yes. Thanks." Harry forcibly shut his mouth. He reached into the front of his robes and withdrew the Slytherin Heir's ring on its chain. "Rightfully, I'm the Heir of Slytherin."

"What?" Daphne screeched. "What's the Chamber? Did you open it? Why?"

"Slow down, Daph," Theo said helpfully. "Harry can only answer your questions if you let him."

Harry nodded. "The Chamber is real, and the Heir is supposed to be the only one that can open it but it wasn't me. Inside the chamber is a basilisk named Griswalde, who is supposed to protect the school. V- Whoever is impersonating an Heir and trying to control her is causing her a lot of distress. She doesn't want to attack the students, but she's starving and confused."

"Hold on," said Blaise. "How do you know what it's feeling?"

Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He looked at the ring, which had a serpent as a part of its crest, and focused. "_I'm a parselmouth._

When Harry spoke in the hissing dialect, Theo smirked, Blaise's mouth dropped open, and Daphne twitched back in surprise. "You're a parselmouth!" she said.

Harry laughed. "That's what I said!"

"Well I couldn't have known that! Wait, so you've talked to the basilisk?"

"No, Mum won't let me." At Harry's indignance, Lily rolled her eyes. "But snakes tend to talk even when there's no one to talk to, and I've heard her moving through the walls."

Their conversation continued in this vein for quite some time. When the four friends left Harry's bed, Malfoy was in the room. He gave them an odd look as they all piled out from behind the curtains, but no one deigned to explain anything to him.

For Harry's first Quidditch game against Gryffindor, the weather was perfect. Harry downed a calming draught in the locker room as Flint went over strategy with the team ("Cheat if you have to, but don't get caught.") Given his captain's attitude towards Quidditch, Harry was glad that no one tried to reassure him.

When the captains were chest to chest aggressively shaking hands, most of the players faces bore knowing smirks. Harry looked around at everyone else, then back at Flint and Wood, but he couldn't seem to see what they saw. Before he could consider it any longer, Madame Hooch blew her whistle and both teams were taking off.

Harry flew in circles high above the Quidditch pitch, head swiveling as he watched for the snitch. He tuned out Lee Jordan's commentary, as he'd been warned that it would be heavily in favor of Gryffindor no matter how many times he was chastised and told to be objective. Malfoy wasn't quite ready to stand up to the Gryffindor team's chasers, who were all veteran players, and the lions were taking the lead. A glint of gold caught Harry's eye, and he bolted towards it. Just as he did, a bludger came flying towards him. Harry rolled under his broom to dodge it, but lost sight of the snitch. As he returned to circling, the bludger flew towards him again. When Harry had to dodge it a third time, the team beaters took notice. Higgs took to guarding Harry while he circled the pitch, and Harry nodded gratefully at his teammate. Meanwhile, Bletchley worked twice as hard as usual to guard the chasers from the other bludger, which was being hit at them mercilessly by the Weasley twins.

Higgs hit the same bludger away from Harry four more times before the snitch was spotted again. Lily flinched violently every time it came near her son. Like a bolt Harry raced after the snitch, weaving to avoid being hit by the ball he was sure was following him. The Gryffindor seeker tried to follow, but couldn't keep up with Harry between his top of the line broom, light body weight, and excellent flying skills. Harry reached out to grab the snitch, his focus so narrow that he didn't hear his mum's involuntary screech from behind him until the bludger had already gone through his arm.

The adrenaline of being chased combined with the pain of a badly fractured bone was too much for Harry, and triggered a panic attack. He grew dizzy, and fell from his broom. Higgs, who had just caught up to the seeker he was trying to guard, caught the Nimbus and kept it from being damaged. Harry's fall was arrested by a spell from Madame Hooch just before he hit the ground.

Harry coughed and choked, his broken arm held protectively against his chest as he looked wildly around. After one particularly powerful cough, the golden snitch dislodged from his throat and he spit it into his lap. Madame Hooch declared it a fair catch, and Slytherin won the game. Sirius, who had come to watch his godson play, finally managed to break his way through the crowd that was forming and worked to coach Harry on his breathing.

The two were so focused on riding out Harry's panic attack that they didn't notice Lockhart's posturing about how he was an expert in healing charms until it was too late. With a horribly mispronounced spell and an exceedingly sloppy wand movement, Lockhart managed to turn Harry's broken bone into a much more complex compound fracture. He was about to try again when Professor Snape grabbed him by the wand arm and dragged him away from the clearly pained child.

Those who didn't know about Harry's history with pain were surprised and impressed that he didn't cry. His swollen arm sat at a clearly unnatural angle, a bend in it where there was no joint.

Madame Pomfrey was furious when Harry came into the infirmary accompanied by Sirius and Professor Snape, and almost sent him panicking again before she realized and reassured him that she was upset with certain incompetent teachers trying to do her job. She examined Harry's arm, and immediately declared that it would take overnight and a dose of Skele-grow to heal.

"If you had been brought straight to me, I could have mended it in a heartbeat," she clucked as she set up a bed for the child. Once he was settled, she waved her wand and the bone set with a sickening grinding sound and several clicks. She handed him a goblet of potion. "This is nasty stuff," she warned. Harry nodded and gulped it down, grimacing at the taste. Were he not used to so many potions already, he probably wouldn't have been able to stomach it. "Best try to rest, dear. Once that potion kicks in you're going to be too uncomfortable to sleep." Harry grimaced again, but laid down and closed his eyes.

Sirius stayed by Harry's bedside until he was asleep, while Severus went to confront the Headmaster about Lockhart overstepping his bounds. Neither of them managed to do much, but they had to try.

It wasn't the pain that woke Harry, but the quiet pop of air as a house elf appeared. Her large eyes appeared anxious as she stared down at Harry. "Er- hello."

"Hello Mr. Harry Potter sir. Dippy is sorry sir. Dippy is so sorry."

Harry wasn't fully awake, and was very confused. "Wha- Dippy? Is that your name?"

"Yes sir. I be Dippy. Dobby has sent Dippy sir."

Harry groaned and dropped his head back on the bed. "Of course. Dippy, please leave me alone. I'm not going to leave school. I know about the Chamber of Secrets, and it'll get worked out."

"Dippy did not want to hurt Mr. Harry Potter Sir, but Dobby told Dippy it was the only way!"

Dippy's distraught wailing brought out Madame Pomfrey, who was shocked to see an unfamiliar house elf harassing her patient. "Go! Out of my hospital wing, leave him alone."

Dippy didn't seem to hear the matron. "Did Dippy's bludger convince Harry Potter sir to go home?"

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh. "Sure. Yes. I'll go home if you do, Dippy."

Dippy sniffled, and nodded her head vigorously before disappearing.

"Well, I never-"

"She's a Malfoy elf. Another named Dobby tried to keep me from coming to school over the summer. Professor Snape talked to Lord Malfoy and he forbid him to approach me again, but apparently he's convinced someone else to try." Madame Pomfrey looked at Harry, dumbstruck. "I'll talk to the professor tomorrow and get him to sort it out. At least now we know what happened during the game."

Madame Pomfrey harrumphed and was about to go back to her rooms when the hospital wing door opened. The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall carried in a very small, frozen person. "Ah, Madame Pomfrey. I see there is no need to summon you. I hope Mr. Potter is alright?"

"Yes, of course. We've just had a minor house elf invasion!" She said indignantly. "Now, what's this?"

Dumbledore's jovial mood was gone in an instant. "There has been another attack, Poppy. Colin Creevy has been petrified."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Consequences of Colin's Attack

"I've got to tell Professor Snape about Griswalde." was the first thing Harry said to his friends after being released from the infirmary.

"Why?" Daphne asked.

"Colin Creevy, that Gryffindor first year that tried to take my picture back in September, was petrified last night. Maybe if I tell him what's causing this, he'll be able to help."

"How could that help them deal with it? I'm guessing you don't want them to kill her-" Harry shook his head no. "and even if you did, something killed Hagrid's roosters. Wait! It wasn't a 'what' that killed the roosters, it was a 'who'! It had to be whoever opened the Chamber."

"That's a good point, Daphne. And a good second point? I still think I should tell someone, though."

"It probably couldn't stop the attacks," said Blaise, "but it might keep things from getting worse. The only reason that kid is still alive is because he was lucky not to see her eyes directly."

Harry nodded resolutely, and went to Professor Snape's office.

"It's a basilisk," was the first thing Harry said to Professor Snape when he opened the door. The professor stood in silence for a moment before gesturing to Harry to come inside. As soon as the door shut behind him, Harry started speaking as quickly as he could. "I said I would come to you if I knew anything else about the Chamber. The monster is a basilisk, but she's meant to protect the students. She's really upset that someone is trying to make her hurt the students, but she's also hungry and confused. Please don't hurt her."

Professor Snape leveled Harry with a measuring stare, but he didn't react. "We'll discuss your apparent attachment to the basilisk in a moment. How did you find this out?"

"I talked to the portrait of Slytherin in the common room. He told me about Gris and her job in the school. Griswalde, that's her name. And I can hear her in the walls sometimes, that's how I know she doesn't like this."

"How can you hear her?"

"The same way I talked to the portrait, sir. I'm a parselmouth."

The professor's eyebrows flicked upwards, and he silently conjured a snake. "Speak to it."

Harry sat down on the ground and began hissing to the serpent. After a few moments, Harry looked back up at the professor. "He's a scarlet King Snake, and his name is-" here, Harry just made some hissing noises, in Parseltongue. "He is very confused about why he's here, and would like to go back to the forest he came from."

Silently, Severus banished the snake back to its home. "So Slytherin's monster is a basilisk, and you want to save her?"

"Yes, sir. It's not her fault someone is forcing her to do this. She'd be able to resist it easier if she wasn't so hungry. Maybe I could go feed her?"

Lily and Severus spoke simultaneously. "Absolutely not."

Harry slouched in defeat. It was worth a try, at least. "Well, Salazar also told me more about her. If people carry around mirrors, there will definitely only be petrifications. You have to see the eyes directly to die."

"That is useful information, at least. I will pass this on to the other professors, but I make no promises about the basilisk's fate."

"Please try, sir." Harry was so earnest in his desire to keep the basilisk safe that Severus found himself moved.

"I will try."

"Thank you, sir." Harry's answering smile could have blinded someone. He was so pleased, in fact, that his hair turned yellow as he exited the professor's office into the dungeon corridor. Lily was so surprised that she couldn't even tell him.

"Harry?" Theo chuckled when Harry re-entered the common room.

"It went well, guys! Professor Snape said he'll try to save Gris! He wouldn't let me go see her, though."

"That's great Har," Daphne choked out.

"I didn't know you all would be so pleased," Harry said, scratching his sunshine yellow hair absently.

"Oh, you know. You're just- glowing!" Daphne burst out laughing on the last word and the group dissolved into hysterical laughter.

"What is going on with you guys?"

Lily finally found her voice. "Baby, your hair is yellow. It happened right when you left the office."

"What?" Harry tried to grab a lock of his hair and pull it into view, but it wasn't quite long enough. His friends only laughed harder. Blaise recovered first, and cast a charm to create an insubstantial mirror that he'd learned from one of his Mother's books. "Oh. Would you look at that."

"Did someone hit you with a color changing charm?" Blaise asked.

"No, the only other person I saw was Professor Snape... Could it be some sort of potion? Maybe there was some spilled on the floor or something. I'd better go find out." Harry worked himself into an anxious state as he spoke, and rushed back into the corridor.

If Severus was surprised to see Harry again so soon, he was even more surprised by his hair.

"My hair is yellow."

"I can see that." Severus cast the counter to the color changing charm, to no avail. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! I was worried that I got some potion or something on me while I was here, Mum said it changed right when I left."

"I've had no such potions in my office." Next, Professor Snape tried using a color changing charm to turn Harry's hair back to its usual black, but it immediately faded yellow again. He stared at it, considering for a moment before he came to a realization. "Nymphadora," he said under his breath.

"Er- what?"

"Excuse me for just a moment, Mr. Potter. I am going to contact your Godfather. He may be able to explain this." A pinch of Floo powder later, Sirius came walking into Professor Snape's office. Immediately, he bust out laughing.

"Yellow doesn't seem to be your color, Pup."

"I didn't do this, don't blame me!"

"Actually, I think you did Har. Just not on purpose."

"You mean, like, accidental magic?"

"Sort of, yeah. But accidental magic combined with a new ability. I should have warned you this might happen when I adopted you, but I'd honestly not thought about it with how rare it's been lately. The Black family has a line gift - metamorphmagi, or witches and wizards who can change their appearance at will."

"So I'm a meta- meta-"

"Metamorphmagus. It would seem so, Prongslet. There's only been one other in the family in generations, and that's my cousin's kid Nymphadora Tonks."

"Oh. Why?"

"The family probably almost bred it out, honestly. Blacks have had a bad habit of marrying cousins for awhile," he added with a shudder. "Dora's father is a Muggleborn, and the fresh blood seemed to have brought it out in her. I guess the same is true with you and your Mum."

"Great. How do I get my hair back to normal?"

"You have to learn to control it. It takes practice, just like any other magical ability does. Until you get it down, your features are likely to change with your moods. Usually a metamorphmagus goes through this phase as a baby, so you might get a few funny looks in the meantime. Dora might be able to help you learn faster. I'll have her write to you."

"Thanks," Harry said with a defeated sigh. He wasn't looking forward to being laughed at constantly.

"Chin up, kiddo. Once you've got it down you can do all sorts of great things as a metamorphmagus."

"Yeah, okay. It does sound pretty cool. But- if this is happening because of the blood adoption why is it only happening now?"

"Well, when new magic is integrated into your core after you're born, it usually takes about six months to settle down. It's November, so that period is almost over."

"So I probably couldn't speak Parseltongue right away after Mum died, either?"

"Couldn't what now?"

"Oh. Oops. Well, everyone knows now! I'm a Parselmouth. It's a line gift for the Slytherin line."

"Okay. Yeah. Then that probably took five or six months to show up when you inherited the Slytherin magic too. Wow, kiddo. You can't do anything halfway can you?"

Harry didn't show it, but he was relieved that Sirius' reaction to his being a Parselmouth was limited to surprise. "I guess not. I'll see you soon, then?"

"Sure will, kiddo." Sirius hugged Harry goodbye, then disappeared back into Professor Snape's Floo.

"Nymphadora Tonks will not set foot in the dungeons," said Professor Snape. The gravity in his voice made Harry gulp.

"O-okay, sir."

Two days later, Harry's hair was still yellow. He glared at Daphne. "Stop laughing. You have to be used to it by now."

"She's just jealous," Theo said. "The Greengrasses have a line gift and she didn't get it - now you've got two!"

"Really? What is it?"

"Passive legilimency. Her sister can do it, and there's no secrets when Astoria is around."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Dueling Club

Emotions were a rollercoaster between the announcement of a new dueling club and the actual event. The Slytherins were at first intrigued, until they found out that it was Lockhart's idea. Disappointment and dread followed until Professor Snape announced in the common room that he would be "assisting" in order to prevent disaster. The mood that followed was a different kind of excitement - the glee that preceded seeing a hated teacher humiliated in public would not be matched for quite some time.

Gathered in the Great Hall, which had been transformed for the club, Daphne gripped Harry's shoulder nearly hard enough to bruise. She giggled furiously when Professor Lockhart came out onto the stage in a bright blue and green robe with a matching hat. "He looks like a peacock!" she whispered. Lockhart made the comparison even more accurate as he strutted across the stage, basking in the adoring gaze of half the student body.

"Welcome, students. It's me, Gilderoy Lockhart! Headmaster Dumbledore has given me permission to start this little dueling club in light of recent events - train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves against the kind of evil I see every day. Now, a healthy round of applause please for my humble assistant, Professor Snape!" Snape emerged, his face set in determination. The Slytherins grinned wider. This would be a treat. Lockhart chuckled, seemingly oblivious to the look on Snape's face. "Professor Snape tells me he has a teensy bit of dueling experience and has agreed to assist me in a wee demonstration. Don't you all worry. You'll still have your potions master when I'm done with him."

"Do we still have to have you?" muttered Harry. Lily fought a smirk.

Lockhart soldiered on. "First we will assume the accepted dueling position, wands at the ready!" he said with a highly unnecessary flourish of his wand and a wide sweeping gesture of his arm. Professor Snape raised his wand in a much more sedate manner. "Next bow to your opponent, always bow!" Lockhart's bow was no less flamboyant. Professor Snape barely nodded his head. "And then on the count of three - one, two, three!"

Lockhart began a complicated movement with his wand, but before he could speak an incantation Professor Snape had hit him with a silent disarming charm so powerful he was thrown backwards into the wall, his wand landing cleaning in Snape's outstretched hand.

The brightly dressed blonde chuckled as he stood up. "Very good to show them that, Professor Snape! Of course, had I wanted to stop you I could have easily. It was quite an obvious-" Lockhart was cut off on his rant by another silent spell from Professor Snape that glued his lips together.

After allowing a moment of laughter, Professor Snape cleared his throat and immediately silenced the room. "Now that that is taken care of, I will have students come up to the stage two at a time to practice the disarming and shielding charms. The disarming charm is _expelliarmus_, and the shielding charm is _protego_. These are the wand movements." Professor Snape demonstrated each charm a couple of times, then called the first pair of students up.

Several practice duels went by without incident, while Lockhart sulked in the corner, before Harry was called up to duel Draco Malfoy. Harry had a bad feeling about his housemate's dislike of rules, but knew better than to argue publicly with his head of house. He faced Malfoy on the stage and bowed. While he was still bent down, Malfoy threw a curse that threw him back on his rear. Harry retaliated as he stood up, using the tickling charm on Malfoy. Through his helpless giggles, Malfoy cast another spell. "S-_Serpensortia_."

A large viper unfurled from the end of Malfoy's wand, hissing angrily. "_Where? How?_" More wordless hissing followed.

Harry looked with his eyes wide at his Mum and Professor Snape, then back to the viper. The silencing charm Snape cast had finally worn off, just in time for Lockhart to make things worse. He cast a spell intended to vanish the snake, but succeeded only in throwing it into the air and angering it further when it crashed back onto the floor. The viper reared up, its teeth bared in Lockhart's direction. Harry sighed heavily. He'd have to stop this, he supposed.

"_Stop. That idiot isn't worth your venom, great one._" Harry figured flattery was the way to go. It seemed to work - the viper immediately took notice and laid down in front of Harry, docile. Harry glanced at the student body, who were staring at him wide eyed.

Lily noticed the awful looks that some of the students were giving Harry and spoke up. "You all can relax now. Harry just saved your Professor's life, and he wouldn't hurt a fly." From in the crowd someone shouted something about Dark magic. "My son has never practiced Dark magic - his Parseltongue is a natural ability."

A shout about the Heir of Slytherin followed, and Professor Snape cut in. "Mr. Potter has been assisting the professors in finding the culprit behind the attacks this year attributed to the Chamber of Secrets, unbidden by us. He is innocent in these events." Some students seemed convinced. Others seemed to think Professor Snape and Harry were working together to kill Muggleborns. A look from the professor silenced the room, and the practice duels continued.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Rumors and Responses

Despite his Mum and Snape's interference, a rumor that Harry had opened the Chamber of Secrets circulated most of the school by the next day. Luckily, it was a Saturday and Harry hadn't felt like going to the Great Hall early that morning. Since she was well-informed of Hogwarts' gossip, Daphne was able to hurry back to warn Harry before he walked in to eat and was faced by a mixture of different stares.

A very small minority of students seemed to have taken the reassurances given last night at face value and believed in Harry's innocence enough to speak against the rumors. An only slightly larger but much more vocal group of students felt that Snape and Lily could not be trusted just now, and Harry must be the culprit. Most of the school remained quiet on their opinions, but also did not argue with any others. Harry's friends had been approached a few times. They had only said that Harry was not responsible for the attacks, without confirming or denying his status as the Heir of Slytherin.

"That's a good response for now," Harry told them. "I appreciate you all thinking carefully about your words."

"Is that what you want to keep telling people, B-Harry?" asked Lily. She had to make a conscious effort not to call him her baby in front of his friends now that he was getting to the age to be embarrassed by that sort of thing.

"I don't know. I don't want to lie and say that I'm not the Heir, but it really isn't a good time for me to announce it."

"If you hide it now though, when it comes out it may seem even more suspicious."

Harry frowned deeply. "I feel like I lose here whether I tell people or not."

Blaise, with a thoughtful expression, added his comments. "There might be a third option, between hiding the truth and announcing it. You could make it known without making it a big deal."

"How could I do that? Everyone is pretty sensitive to anything I could say right now."

"The ring!" exclaimed Theo, and Blaise nodded firmly.

"Wear the ring," he said, "and maybe tell a couple people you talk to outside of Slytherin since it's likely only the Purebloods will notice the ring on their own. It'll show people that you're the rightful Heir, and that you're neither ashamed or overly proud of it. Then, as people start to ask you about it you can tell them that someone else is using your title without your permission."

Daphne had been nodding excitedly the whole time Blaise spoke, her mind calculating how this may affect the rumors. "It won't convince everyone, but I'm sure you could sway the majority to your side that way."

Harry bit his lip, considering his friends words, and then took the Slytherin ring out of his shirt and put it on. "You're all lifesavers. You know that, don't you?"

Harry's friends only smiled in response.

Harry hadn't been out of the dungeons more than a few minutes when he ran into his three non-Slytherin- friends? acquaintances? Either way, the exact people he had hoped to talk to waylaid him in the corridor.

"I trust you Harry," Hermione said as she fingered her Ravenclaw tie, "but I haven't heard anything from you on the topic. All we want is for you to tell us the truth, and we'll believe what you say."

"I was just coming to find you all to talk to you about it, actually. Can we go somewhere private?"

Hermione led the group to a study room in a rarely used part of the castle - these secluded rooms were common knowledge among her housemates but there were enough of them that they shouldn't be interrupted. Harry took a deep breath and began the speech he had carefully prepared.

"I am rightfully the Heir of Slytherin," Harry began as he showed the ring. All three reacted strongly until Harry added, "but I am not behind the attacks. Someone else is using my title without my permission and it's causing me trouble." Following this revelation Hermione was accepting, Ron seemed unsure, and Neville was frightened rather than terrified.

"I didn't tell anyone that I was inheriting the Slytherin house when I found out because it's such an important family, and I wasn't ready to handle some of the things that publicly claiming it would bring. Now that the attacks are happening, I felt like I couldn't hide or announce it without backing myself into a corner. Making it known casually, using my ring, was Blaise's idea. It would help me a lot if the three of you would help to spread the truth around when you hear people talking about the rumors."

Three nodding heads followed, with varying degrees of caution. Harry smiled warmly at them. "Thank you all. I knew I'd be able to count on you three. Do any of you have friends in Hufflepuff? Maybe I'll find Hannah Abbot, or Justin Finch-Fletchley."

Now that people knew he was a Parselmouth, Harry was tempted to bring Mehen around the castle and show him off. Lily pointed out that that might seem like flaunting his status as the Heir, which they had specifically decided he wasn't going to do. Harry agreed with a sigh to wait until things blew over.

Things didn't seem destined to blow over. Days after the dueling club, while Harry was still getting fearful or calculating looks from at least half of the student body, Harry literally stumbled on a petrified body in the hallway. It was Finch-Fletchley, and just ahead of him was the Gray Lady looking very black and solid as well as totally still. Harry wasn't an expert on the Ravenclaw ghost, but he was sure that wasn't typical for her.

He spent too long musing over that fact, and Peeves came around the corner. As soon as he saw Harry, he began mocking in earnest. Until, that is, he saw the victims. Peeves' mocking laughs turned to screeches. "ATTACK! ATTACK! THERE'S BEEN ANOTHER ATTACK!"

They were near enough to the Great Hall that Peeves' screams immediately brought a flood of people. Harry rushed away before the situation could get out of hand. As he went, fingers pointed and whispers began. To make matters worse, it seemed at least one person in the crowd had managed to overhear him say he was looking for Finch-Fletchley when he spoke with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. People who had previously been on the fence about Harry's guilt seemed thoroughly swayed now that he was found at the scene of another attack. Wearing the Slytherin ring suddenly seemed like a flaunt instead of a subtle reveal.

Harry went to Professor Snape for advice. His Mum's suggestions were distinctly Gryffindor - it was all she knew how to be - and Harry needed someone who could give him ideas that fit more with who he was.

"Wearing the ring was a smart idea, if it were not for this unfortunate occurrence. Running away from the scene of the crime likely made you seem guiltier."

"I didn't want to panic in front of everyone again, like when Mrs. Norris was petrified."

The professor nodded once. "What is done is done, I won't berate you for self preservation. If you attempt to reverse your plan now it will look suspicious."

"So I just keep doing what I was already planning on doing?"

"You will have to. It will be a challenge - be sure to surround yourself with people who support you. Eventually, something will happen to make all of those dunderheads see that you are innocent."

Harry took a deep breath. "Okay," he replied in a small voice.

Professor Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "Would you like to speak with your Godfather or your Mind Healer about this? I am not equipped to provide... emotional support at this time." Harry nodded vigorously and went to the floo. After speaking with Healer Shabani, Harry was much calmer.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Christmas Break

Rumors circulated the school completely by the time Harry left Healer Shabani's floo. The final days before Christmas break were a nightmare - people who had previously been on the fence about Harry being responsible for the attacks were now thoroughly convinced, and Harry's hair turned bright red from anger or embarrassment several times. The only silver lining was that he found it slightly easier returning it to black each time.

Harry was desperate to leave the school for break. Unfortunately, Sirius had begun the process of legally taking custody of him only a week and a half ago and it wouldn't be ready in time. Therefore, Harry technically had no home to go to. A friend's house was also out of the question, given he had no legal guardian to approve the visit. Theo was staying at the castle alongside Harry again. Strangely, this year they were joined by Malfoy and his goons.

Once the Hogwarts Express left, Harry was determined to remain in the common room where he felt safe as much as humanly possible. Theo was chronically freezing and therefore willing to camp out with him and they ordered food from the house elves, so he was only forced to leave for his metamorphmagus lessons with Nymphadora Tonks and the mandatory Christmas lunch in the Great Hall. Mind Healing sessions were on pause for the break, since most of Healer Shabani's patients wouldn't schedule appointments anyways and he liked to travel. Now that Sirius was out of the hospital and living independently, Harry wasn't able to get special permission to visit him. Instead, his godfather would be tagging along for one of Harry's lessons.

While in the common room, Harry played chess with Theo, worked on holiday assignments, read some books he'd been meaning to look at for awhile, and spoke openly with Salazar's portrait and Mehen. (He may have enjoyed the pale faces of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle when he spoke Parseltongue a bit too much, and spent more time chattering with Mehen than usual. Salazar only smirked at his young Heir's antics from his place on the wall.)

Harry was waiting for Nymphadora Tonks in the entrance hall of the school. Theo tagged along to glare at anyone who looked at Harry the wrong way. Harry wasn't sure that was helping his image, but wasn't about to turn down his best friend's help. Lily's gaze fell only on her son, and was worried rather than threatening, so Harry knew her presence wouldn't stop anyone from confronting him. Two minutes past their agreed upon time, a pink haired witch in auror's robes burst into the entrance hall, tripped over nothing, and stumbled up to the boys. "Wotcher! Call me Tonks, my fool of a mother named me Nymphadora." As Tonks said her first name, she grimaced.

"Hello," Harry said, slightly taken aback by her exuberance. He could handle it, though. She reminded him most of Sirius. "I'm Harry Potter- er, Potter-Black? You can call me Harry. This is my friend, Theodore Nott." Tonks' eyes widened briefly at the name Nott; her emotions were plain to see on her face but quickly corrected. Harry could tell she meant to be polite but was relatively unsubtle. Theo smiled blandly, accustomed to law enforcement reacting poorly to his father. Harry's voice turned slightly colder. "I hope you won't hold anything like a name against him unfairly."

To her credit, Tonks did not hesitate. "I never would! I'm a Hufflepuff, fairness and marijuana are our creed."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, but Theo's face darkened slightly. "The Hufflepuffs this year aren't being particularly fair to Harry this year - or relaxed, for that matter."

At Tonks' confused look, Harry sighed heavily and explained the Heir of Slytherin rumors, and how all of Hufflepuff house had taken personal offence to the last victim being one of theirs. While they talked they walked to the transfiguration classroom, where they'd be practicing. Tonks had said that the ambient energies in that room would support transformations while Harry was getting the hang of things.

She started by explaining the typical range of metamorphmagus abilities complete with demonstrations. She could transform any part of her body into anything human without limits, and replicate individual animal parts like a pig's snout. She couldn't transform into an entire animal, however, and said that it was very difficult for a metamorphmagus to become an animagus. (Harry was disappointed for a moment, before he transformed that emotion into determination. This was something he had been working on with Healer Shabani in his weekly sessions - realizing that he was in charge of his future and could do anything he set his mind to with enough effort. Outside of the Dursley's house he would never be powerless again. Slytherin, and his classmates' natural ambition, helped immensely with these lessons.) She could also change the color of any part of her body, though her hair was most common, to any color of the rainbow with ease and cover scars.

Tonks also explained that his emotions wouldn't translate into his hair once he gained more control over his ability. Harry was glad to hear that, since being able to mask his emotions was important to him both in his childhood and as a Slytherin. They started practicing with basic human transformations first, since Tonks said those were easiest. Harry had, of course, asked why his accidental changes were color changes if they weren't the simplest thing to do but Tonks had no answer beyond a shrug and "That's how it always is."

By the end of the two hour lesson, Harry was able to change the shape of his nose, lengthen his fingers very slightly, and tan his skin. Lily positively beamed to see her child accomplishing new things so quickly - not to mention having inherited a very rare and useful talent. He found the changes much easier with Tonks explaining the mental and metaphysical steps she took when she transformed, rather than when he fixed his hair by sheer force of will. The two agreed to meet again in two days, and Harry prepared to rush back to the dungeons alone.

"D'you want an escort, Harry?"

"What was that?"

"Well, you're having trouble in the school right now and your friend isn't here. You don't seem to want to go alone, so I thought I'd offer you an auror escort."

Harry smiled slightly. "That would be fantastic, thank you."

The two chatted more about their lesson as they walked towards the dungeons. Just as they neared the Slytherin common room, Professor Snape exited his office. His face when he saw Tonks was thunderous. "Nymphadora. You will not enter my classroom, lab, office, or common room while you are here." Seeing a protest forming on her face, he continued. "If I had it my way, you would not enter the dungeons." Tonks closed her mouth for a moment, before she smiled and ruffled Harry's hair.

"If you were interested, you might actually be able to change your hair a bit to calm it. Work on that before our next session!" and without a proper goodbye, she skipped away. Harry stared after her, bewildered, for just a moment before hurrying into the Slytherin common room. Snape wouldn't stay in the hallway long and his presence made Harry feel safer. No one had actually attacked Harry, even if it was because they were afraid of retaliation, but his anxious brain always assumed physical danger after ten years living with the Dursleys. It was another thing Healer Shabani wanted to work on.

On Christmas Eve, Malfoy returned to the common room alone. That was relatively uncommon, the arrogant boy tended to be flanked by Crabbe and Goyle from morning until night, so Harry, Theo, and his Mum all took notice. They continued their chess game, only halfway paying attention to the pieces. After a half hour, Malfoy left the common room and returned minutes before curfew with the missing goons. Lily shrugged off the oddness of earlier, but Harry still felt like something was off about his classmates.

Crabbe alternated between uncharacteristic nervousness and outright contempt. He seemed confused, even though the conversation he was having was something he'd normally be able to follow easily. Crabbe and Goyle were widely considered idiots, but they only really struggled with classwork. In this moment Crabbe seemed confused about where he was and what he should be doing, and didn't follow Malfoy's conversation the way he typically would.

Goyle was acting unusually stiff, clumsily attempting formalities he'd usually ignore. His disconnect with the conversation was the opposite - Harry overheard Goyle make comments more insightful than he, or most any other second year, usually would.

Harry was still trying to puzzle out why the two boys were acting so oddly when they directed the conversation towards the Chamber, and Harry broke his attention away in a mixture of disgust and anxiety. Lily noticed the change in his demeanor and tried to talk to him about it, but Harry only said a short goodnight to Theo and silently readied himself for bed.

His mother's worried gaze did not leave him when he was settled in behind his curtains, and he sighed. "I'm tired. Inside, I mean. I'm tired of this Chamber of Secrets disaster, and of Voldemort. And don't get me wrong, I'm happier to know the truth, but knowing that he isn't going to stop hunting me any time soon makes it even more exhausting." Lily listened to Harry ramble, unloading his mind onto her, and quietly brushed an insubstantial hand down his cheek. Harry shivered at the cold touch, but relaxed into it and managed to fall asleep.

Opening presents was such a new experience for Harry that not even all this drama could dampen the experience. He and Theo excitedly consolidated their gifts, while Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle formed a second group not far away. Sirius and Remus had given him a broom care kit and a pair of Quidditch goggles with his eyeglass prescription in them. Harry received books from most of his friends, which he was pleased with. (It was only his third time opening presents in his memory - he would have been pleased with anything.) He enjoyed reading and learning when the subject matter was right, and this batch seemed promising. Theo had given him a set of books on magical theory, the same ones he was tutored with before Hogwarts. Blaise had given him a book on Dark and Light magic, which he promised was as unbiased as one could find. Harry was intrigued by this, since he knew his magic had changed somewhat since Sirius had adopted him a year ago. Hermione had tried to combine his interests and given him a book on Seeker's tactics in Quidditch. He usually just flew instinctively, but the book couldn't hurt and Harry truly appreciated the gift. Ron had given him sweets, which Harry opened right away. Daphne's gift was clothing again - a pair of expensive looking dragonhide boots charmed to never rub his feet wrong. Harry mentioned to Theo that it seemed like a lot for her to keep giving him these expensive clothes, and found out that her mother owned a popular wizarding fashion magazine and got fine clothing at a significant discount. Besides, the Greengrass family was extremely wealthy. Harry accepted that answer, and opened the first of the magical theory texts to read until lunchtime.

It was at Christmas lunch that Harry put the pieces together with what had happened the previous night. Hermione and Ron were sitting together at the single round table that was set for the few remaining students and staff. The brightest witch of their age, and a hot-tempered but well-meaning Gryffindor. Two people who had never been in the Slytherin common room, had never seen how Crabbe and Goyle interacted with their peers outside of class, and had a multitude of reasons to be interested in finding out more about the Chamber of Secrets. The meal passed painfully quietly and painfully slowly, as no one but Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore seemed interested in making much conversation. Malfoy and his friends stayed quiet because there were Muggleborns and non-Slytherins at the table, Harry and Theo were brooding, and the remaining students watched the Slytherins - with a special emphasis on Harry - with mingled distrust and fear. Ron and Hermione's attempts at conversation were stilted and faded into nothing regularly. Dumbledore appeared to be the only one unaffected, jovially making comments and pulling wizard crackers, while the rest of the staff read the mood at the table and either ate silently or held quiet conversations among themselves.

Harry cornered Ron and Hermione outside the Great Hall after dinner. A Gryffindor third year tried to confront him, but Ron waved the older girl away. Once they were alone Harry asked, "How did you disguise yourselves as Crabbe and Goyle?"

Ron blanched. Hermione faltered for a moment before squaring her shoulders. "Polyjuice potion. We've been brewing it for a month in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom hoping to investigate the matter more thoroughly. Did Malfoy notice?"

Harry's eyes widened at the mention of Polyjuice. He knew it was difficult to brew. In response to her question, he shrugged minutely. "I went to bed before you left, but he hasn't seemed off at all today. I didn't realize why Crabbe and Goyle were so different from usual until I saw you two at the beginning of lunch, and I know you better than Malfoy does."

Hermione seemed satisfied with the answer he gave. "He didn't seem to know anything useful, which was disappointing. I was really hoping that as a legacy Slytherin he'd let something slip."

"I'm impressed that you made it in and out without trouble, but why didn't you just ask me what Malfoy was saying about it? Wouldn't that be a lot less work?"

Hermione bit her lip and hesitated, so Ron took over the explanation. "We didn't want to bring it up with you, mate. You try to be all stoic, but I can tell that it bothers you. Your hair gives you away."

"That shouldn't be an issue much longer, but you're right. Thank you for- thinking of my feelings?" Harry took a steadying breath, and looked to his Mum where she had been silently watching the conversation. "I should get back to Slytherin before someone finds something more to blame me for. Make it back to your dorms safely, please, for all of our sakes." The last thing Harry needed was one or both of them to turn up petrified after that third year had seen him with them. Plus, he would miss their company, infrequent as it was.

Ron and Hermione did make it back to their respective towers. The rest of Harry's break passed similarly. He progressed quickly in his metamorphmagus practice with Tonks, though the visit that Sirius came along for was more goofing around than anything. Tonks smiled and asserted that having fun with his ability was still practicing, and Harry and Lily both laughed joyously. Assignments finished, Harry steadily worked his way through the magical theory texts he'd gotten. He could almost forget that when the rest of the school came back and classes started again, he'd still be hated. Almost.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Diary

The whispers, glares, and silences when Harry passed hadn't abated at all since before the holidays. Harry put up with it the best he could by spending more time with his friends - including Ron and Hermione - who believed him, studying in the common room instead of the library, and meeting more frequently with Healer Shabani.

Healer Shabani reassured him that his anger at his classmates was natural and healthy. "It's a good sign that you're able to get angry when people do wrong by you," he said. "It shows that you understand you deserve better. Last summer, you likely only would have been afraid. So long as you don't plan to act on that anger in a way that will hurt anyone, I'm going to encourage you to feel it."

Harry also continued practicing his metamorphmagus abilities independently, now that he didn't have time to meet with Tonks. He could do human changes and color changes with ease, even while focusing on his assignments at the same time, and was working on animal features. He could also change his hair to make it lie flat, which would be useful if he ever had to go somewhere formal, and hide the physical scars he had from Dudley's bullying and Vernon's beatings. That took effort, though, and he didn't bother doing it often. Curiously, he couldn't hide his lightning bolt scar. His mum told him it was probably because it had the magic of her ritual running through it.

Harry was leaving dinner with his Slytherin friends one night when they heard Filch's yelling. At first, Harry worried there had been another attack and wondered if enough people would remember seeing him in the Great Hall to know he didn't do it, but then they heard him more clearly. He was shouting about mopping.

"Don't- don't the house elves clean the school?"

"Yeah," said Blaise. "I really don't know why Filch even works here. The Headmaster and Deputy are the ones the house elves are bound to listen to, and there's enough of them here that he's completely unnecessary." While they talked, they approached the area Filch had just left. It was the same place where Mrs. Norris had been found on Halloween, and the entire corridor was flooded with several centimeters of water.

"Ugh, what happened here?" Daphne asked, stepping carefully picking up her robes to keep the hem dry.

"Yeah, I wonder..." Harry trailed off as he looked at the door with an Out of Order sign on it. It was a girl's lavatory. Something about it made him want to go inside and he poked his head in.

Theo looked scandalized. He spoke in a harsh whisper. "Harry, what on earth are you doing?"

Harry just ignored his friend's protest and took a step inside. Before anyone else could react, there was a painful screeching that caused all the kids to cover their ears. "Oh no," moaned Daphne. "This is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!"

Her statement seemed to be taken as an insult, and the girlish ghost flew out of a toilet stall. She prepared to launch into a rant about how she had feelings too, and how hurt she was, but she took notice of Lily and stopped.

"Hi Myrtle," Lily said. "It's been awhile."

"Lily Evans? You're a ghost now too? You could share my toilet!"

Lily smiled kindly. "That's a nice offer, Myrtle, but I'm bound to my son." She gestured towards Harry, who was looking around on the ground. "It was Lily Potter when I died. This is Harry."

The two ghosts chatted. Lily had been kind to Myrtle when she was in school, and the ghost had learned to like her. Now that they were both dead, Myrtle was inappropriately ecstatic.

Harry finally found what seemed to have been calling to him. It was a little black book. His friends watching Myrtle and Lily incredulously, he picked it up unnoticed and put it in his pocket. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted it. When his mum was done catching up with her old friend, the Slytherins awkwardly left the flooded lavatory and finished their trek to the dungeons.

The book was a diary, labelled with the name T. M. Riddle and the date 1942. Inside, it was completely blank. Harry found himself constantly flipping through the pages with an absent mind. When his friends asked what it was, he replied that it was "just an old blank book". At first they didn't believe him, but he showed them the pages and it really did seem to be empty. He didn't let any of them touch it - not that they'd asked. He still did all the things he was doing before, if a little less frequently, so no one minded the diary. Only Lily was uneasy with her son's unfounded obsession with it, but she couldn't find a legitimate reason that Harry shouldn't have the blank book so she kept quiet.

Valentine's Day was more horrifying than Halloween ever had been. The Slytherins walked into the Great Hall for breakfast on February 14th and were immediately stopped in their tracks. The walls were covered in large, sickeningly pink flowers. Heart-shaped confetti rained down from the enchanted ceiling, landing in the food that the tables were laden with. Harry's whisper carried equal traces of disbelief and fear. "Hogwarts didn't do anything for Valentine's last year, did we? I'd remember this."

"Nope," replied a dazed Theo. "Most wizards don't really celebrate it."

The Slytherins looked up to the head table. Their head of house sat there with an expression that would strike fear into the heart of anyone with a brain. It was no surprise to them, therefore, that Lockhart was beside him looking even cheerier than usual, dressed in robes the same shade of pink as the decorations. The rest of the professors looked generally unhappy with him, Headmaster Dumbledore excluded by the look of amusement on his face. The doorway clogging behind them, they hurried to the Slytherin table before Lockhart began to speak.

"Happy Valentine's Day! I'd like to thank the lovely people who have already sent me cards - upwards of forty!" The second year Slytherins looked disgusted. "I thought the school could use a bit of a pick-me-up, so I've taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all! And! This isn't everything!"

"It's not?" whispered Daphne. She looked as though she'd been asked to fight a troll without her wand.

While she fought to school her expression, Lockhart clapped his hands and the doors opened. In filed some incredibly grumpy-looking dwarves dressed in diapers and carrying bows. "Meet my wonderful card-carrying Cupids! They'll be delivering valentines to all of you throughout the day, so send one to your sweetheart!" At the lack of enthusiasm from his crowd, Lockhart pressed on. "Get into the holiday spirit in your classes! Ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a love potion! And Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Charms than anyone else I know, the sly dog!"

Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Professor Snape looked like he would murder anyone who asked him for a love potion. The Slytherins suspected he'd do it using some of his experimental potions. Lockhart finally sat down to eat, and the Great Hall erupted with chatter.

"Don't love potions and entrancing charms seem a bit... unethical? I mean, they definitely force you to do something you otherwise wouldn't."

Daphne nodded. "Finally, a boy who gets it! This is something girls think about a lot, since wizards are more likely to use them on us. Too often, our choices don't seem to matter." She and Harry were swept away into a conversation, and the group spent the rest of the meal as normally as they could while picking confetti out of their porridge.

Classes were constantly interrupted by Lockhart's dwarves. Each time it happened, the professors became more and more frustrated. During Transfiguration McGonagall slammed her door shut in one's face so hard the creature fell on its rear, and locked it magically. With a look of satisfaction, she returned to teaching without any further incidents.

The second year Slytherins were all walking back to the dungeons together on their way to Charms when a dwarf approached them.

"'Arry Potter!"

"Run," said Harry as he took off without a thought.

Theo and Blaise kept pace with him, while Daphne walked sedately with her head held high. The dwarf kicked people's shins and elbowed them to clear a path and caught up to them unfortunately easily. Harry struggled to get away as the dwarf announced it had a singing valentine for him, and his bag ripped in the struggle. An inkwell broke and spilled all over his books. While Harry struggled to gather his things, the dwarf grabbed onto him and held him hostage by sitting on his ankles.

When it began to sing about "eyes as green as fresh pickled toad" and "hair that changes in a color code", only Theo looked properly embarrassed for him. Harry looked to his mum, and was mortified that even she was fighting back giggles. When it ended, Harry scooped his things messily into his arms and dashed into the Charms classroom. As he sorted through his things to determine what he'd have to replace, Harry noticed that the diary, which had been right in the middle of his ink-soaked books, was perfectly clean.

That night he wrote in it, alone in the dorm room. _This is a test._ After a moment, the ink faded away as if soaked into the page.

Harry was about to write something else, when old fashioned handwriting appeared. _What are you testing?_

The diary- talked back? What use could that be? Unsure why, Harry found himself wanting to answer it. _I'm testing how this works. I found this diary on the floor a couple of weeks ago._

_A worthwhile question. What is your name?_

Harry didn't even hesitate to answer the diary this time. _My name is Harry Potter._

_Nice to meet you Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle._

_Why did someone try to flush this diary down a toilet?_

_I always knew there would be people who did not want what I know being spread around. It is why I recorded my memories in something more lasting than ink._

Harry thought about what secrets the diary could hold for a moment before realizing that 1942 was the year the Chamber of Secrets was last opened._ Do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?_

_Yes. Let me show you._

Before Harry could ask what the diary meant by showing him, it flipped open to the center of the book on its own and sucked him inside. He looked around and found himself in the Headmaster's office, but the colors were washed out as if it was an old photograph and his mum wasn't with him. Harry didn't recognize the man seated behind the desk. It seemed Dumbledore didn't hold the seat yet. Having used a pensieve heavily in his therapy sessions, Harry knew that the unknown headmaster would not be able to see or hear him. While the old wizard looked out his office window, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter," said the old wizard in a feeble voice.

A boy of about sixteen entered, taking off his pointed hat. A silver prefect's badge was glinting on his chest. He was much taller than Harry, but he, too, had jet-black hair.

"Ah, Riddle," said the Headmaster.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" said Riddle. He looked nervous.

"Sit down," said Dippet. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me."

"Oh," said Riddle. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly.

"My dear boy," said Dippet kindly, "I cannot possibly let you stay at the school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?"

"No," said Riddle at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that — to that —"

"You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" said Dippet curiously.

"Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly.

"You are Muggle-born?"

"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother."

"And are both your parents —?"

"My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me — Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather."

Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically. "The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "Special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…"

"You mean all these attacks, sir?" said Riddle, and Harry leaned in with interest.

"Precisely," said the headmaster. "My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the — er — source of all this unpleasantness…"

Riddle's eyes had widened. "Sir — if the person was caught — if it all stopped —"

"What do you mean?" said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair. "Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"

"No, sir," said Riddle quickly. Harry was sure it was insincere. Riddle's attitude, plus the inclusion of this in his memory of the Chamber, told him so.

Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed. "You may go, Tom…"

Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Harry followed him, knowing this was the owner of the memory and the action would be wherever he was.

Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped clearly contemplating something seriously, and so did Harry, watching him. Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Harry gliding noiselessly behind him. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase.

"What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?" Harry was sure this was none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore.

"I had to see the headmaster, sir," said Riddle.

"Well, hurry off to bed," said Dumbledore, giving Riddle a suspicious look. "Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…" He sighed heavily, bade Riddle good night, and strode off.

Riddle watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with Harry in hot pursuit. But to Harry's disappointment, Riddle led him not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the familiar dungeons. The torches hadn't been lit, and when Riddle pushed the door almost closed, Harry could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside. It felt to Harry that they were there for at least an hour. All he could see was the figure of Riddle at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue.

Harry could be patient, after a childhood of being locked in a cupboard for days at a time. It paid off when a sound was heard beyond the door. Someone was creeping along the passage. He heard whoever it was pass the dungeon where he and Riddle were hidden. Riddle, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Harry following behind him.

For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Riddle stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Harry heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper. "C'mon… gotta get yeh outta here… C'mon now… in the box…" There was something familiar about that voice.

Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner. Harry stepped out behind him. He could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it. "Evening, Rubeus," said Riddle sharply.

The boy slammed the door shut and stood up. "What yer doin' down here, Tom?"

Riddle stepped closer. "It's all over," he said. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."

"'Nd wat d'yeh —"

"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and —"

"Aragog never killed no one!" said the large boy Harry had identified as Hagrid, backing against the closed door. Harry sighed in disappointment. Riddle thought Hagrid was the Heir of Slytherin? That wasn't possible; this was a dead end in his search for Voldemort's influence in the school. He checked out of the conversation, until Riddle blasted Hagrid's box with a spell that opened it.

Out of the box came something that made Harry startle violently despite knowing he was untouchable. A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers — Riddle raised his wand again, but he was too late. The serving platter sized spider bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Riddle scrambled to his feet, looking after it; he raised his wand, but Hagrid leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, "NOO!"

The scene whirled, signalling the end of the memory, and he was dropped back in his bed in the Slytherin dorms. He wasn't alone anymore. Theo and Blaise watched the diary spit him out with wide eyes. "Harry, what did you do?"

Harry was a bit disoriented after his brief trip to the past. "Er- what? Oh, Tom was just showing me a memory of when the Chamber of Secrets was last opened. It was useless, though. He thought the monster was a spider, and Hagrid let it free."

"Tom?" asked Theo

"Oh, the diary. Tom Riddle." Harry was met with blank looks. "Well, I wrote in it and it wrote back-"

"AND YOU LET IT SUCK YOU INSIDE IT?" Blaise shouted.

"Well, he didn't give me much choice, but it was just like a pensieve memory."

"You've been obsessed with that diary ever since you found it. You write in it and it writes back- did you even bother to check it for Dark magic?"

"Er- no. But why should that matter? We're all members of Dark families. You just got me that book on how Dark magic wasn't necessarily bad."

Blaise sighed. "Dark magic isn't necessarily bad, but it can be dangerous. Dark artifacts almost always are." He withdrew his wand and cast a detection spell over it. Theo and Blaise both stared at it with wide eyes when it glowed such a deep purple that the light was almost black.

"Harry." Theo said cautiously. "We have to take that to Professor Snape. That is probably the Darkest artifact I've ever seen- and my father was a Death Eater."

"I don't want to," Harry said calmly.

"Why not?" asked Blaise incredulously.

"I don't know. I want to keep it."

Blaise gave a put-upon sigh and looked to Theo. Theo spoke up. "That's not a good sign, Harry. Lots of Dark artifacts lure people into using them. It's probably already got its claws in you." Lily looked on in despair. Why hadn't she said something about the diary when she first had a bad feeling about it?

Harry only scoffed. Blaise and Theo traded meaningful looks before each grabbed him by an arm and dragged him out of the dorms. A few onlookers watched curiously as Harry fought his friends about going to their Head of House, but he wasn't able to escape them. Soon, they found themselves outside Professor Snape's door.

Harry clutched the diary to his chest as Blaise and Theo explained the situation to Professor Snape. He looked doubtfully at the diary and cast the same detection spell Blaise had used. Once again, the diary glowed almost black. Immediately, fear manifesting itself as anger, Professor Snape snatched the book out of Harry's hands. The child protested, but the dour professor paid him no mind as he looked at the book in his hands. He looked to the two rational boys in the room. "You said he called it 'Tom'?"

"Yes, sir."

Severus recognized the name Tom Riddle from Albus' insistence on using the Dark Lord's birth name. This was the worst situation possible. He cast a more detailed detection charm over the diary, and found it combined the spells that created pensieves, Dictaquills, and invisible ink with something darker he did not recognize and a charm to compel anyone who touched the diary to trust it. He was only unaffected because of his Occlumency skills. "You two may go. Mr. Potter will remain here with me while I determine if he needs the hospital wing. I will escort him either there or back to the common room."

"Yes, sir" chorused Blaise and Theo. They exited the room, closing the door behind them. Severus looked back to Harry, who was still fretting over the loss of the diary, and Lily, who looked as if she'd hit herself were it possible.

"Listen to me, Mr. Potter." He waited for silence. "This diary is a very dangerous artifact. You need to be more careful with unfamiliar magical items. I won't blame you entirely, though, as it seems you were the victim of its snare from the moment you picked it up." His words didn't seem to be getting through to Harry, who was still staring longingly at the diary. Severus locked it in a drawer of his desk and snapped his fingers to draw Harry's attention to him again. "In this case, we are lucky that you seem to have found the culprit behind our problem."

"Sir?"

"Tom Riddle is Voldemort's birth name. It is likely that this diary is the source of his presence within the school this year, impersonating the Heir of Slytherin."

Finally, Harry reacted appropriately to information about the diary. He paled dramatically. Behind him, Lily's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. She buried her face in her hands in shame. He recovered his voice after a moment. "So now that you have it, the attacks should stop?"

"Indeed, they should. I am going to cast a diagnostic charm on you to determine if you need Madame Pomfrey's skills tonight."

Harry nodded his acquiescence and Professor Snape cast the charm. The results showed that Harry was still deeply under the control of the compulsion charm, and his magical core was slightly drained. The diary forgotten, he immediately took his student by the shoulder and escorted him to the hospital wing.

Madame Pomfrey gave Harry three potions - one to break the compulsion, one to restore his core, and a dose of Dreamless Sleep. The other two potions would take about twelve hours to work, so he would sleep in the hospital wing tonight for observation. The Dreamless Sleep would allow him to rest unaffected by the panic that would surely set in once the compulsion was broken and the full weight of the situation was able to reach Harry's mind.

Lily watched over her son, blaming herself, until Madame Pomfrey scolded her for it. "It's not as if you could have cast the detection charms yourself. And besides that, he will be just fine by morning."

For a time, things were calm. The rumors about Harry became boring without any further attacks, and only the most fervent believers still scorned him in the halls. Harry was hopeful that the incident would be forgotten soon enough with the diary locked away.

A/N: I based the writing in the diary scene more off the movie version than the book version. It's a little more dramatic, and involves less repetition of things that (a) happen in the memory or (b) Harry would already know aren't true given what he knows about Voldemort and his heirship in this story.

The content of the memory is copied almost verbatim from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, chapter thirteen, but Harry's reactions to it are mine.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Electives

In this new calm, a more typical anxiety arose among the second years. It was time to choose their electives. For the Slytherins especially, this was important. The electives they chose to begin in their third year would affect what jobs they were qualified to do after graduation, and whether their ambitions became achievable. Because of this, each of them had a meeting scheduled with Professor Snape about their elective choices.

Theo chose Ancient Runes and Divination. The second one was looked on with some doubt, but Theo explained he was interested in it more from a historical and theoretical perspective, as there had been Seers in his family generations back. Besides that, his future held a Lordship. He could study anything he wanted to.

Blaise chose Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do in the future, and these electives kept his options fairly balanced and open.

Daphne chose Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. She would be marrying well and inheriting a fair fortune of her own. She might choose to research or work in a field if she wanted to, but her main ambitions were not included in the Hogwarts curriculum and the two easiest electives would leave her time to pursue them.

Harry had no idea what he should register for until his meeting.

"Come in, Mr. Potter. Sit." Harry entered the small office, while Lily waited outside to give him a chance to work this out alone with his professor.

"Yes, sir."

"Have you put any thought into your elective choices?"

"Yes, sir. But-"

"Yes?"

"I've got no clue what to take. I don't know what I want to do when I graduate, or if I'll even have time for it with three Lordships. I've got an idea, but it's more of a dream. I'm worried it won't be possible, or well received, and I don't know how to go about achieving it."

Professor Snape held up a hand to stop Harry's rambling. "What is it that you'd like to do? I could give you some insight."

Harry took a deep breath. "I think I'd like to be an inventor, sir. Of spells or artifacts that mimic Muggle innovations wizards haven't kept up with."

Professor Snape raised his eyebrows. "That is very ambitious."

"Is that a bad thing?"

A small smile twitched at the corner of the professor's mouth. "Quite the opposite, really. I know you sorted Slytherin based mostly on skills you learned to survive, Mr. Potter, but it seems that the environment you've found yourself in has encouraged you to want to make something of yourself. Where did you get this idea?"

"Well, Sirius mentioned it once in a letter ages ago. I don't think he was entirely, er, serious about it. It was just an off-handed comment. But I really enjoy talking with my friends about differences in advancements between the two worlds, and Theo gave me some really interesting books on magical theory for Christmas this year." He paused. "Do you think I could do it?"

Professor Snape thought about that for a moment. "Inventing spells would require a deeper grounding in magical theory than you could gain from self-study. Deeper even than your classmates likely learned in their pre-Hogwarts years. You could ask your Godfather to hire you a tutor with experience in Spellcrafting. The Hogwarts electives that would help you most would be Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, which are a very challenging course load when taken together. Had you not grown up in the Muggle world, I'd also recommend Muggle Studies. It's better that you will not need that, however, as it is looked upon with significant scorn in Slytherin House. You'll also want to focus well on Potions and Charms to ensure you can continue to take those at NEWT level. This is a challenging course that you are setting for yourself, but if you work hard at it then it could take you far. And these electives support a wide range of careers, so should you change your mind in the future you will not find yourself lacking options."

Harry smiled brightly, and registered himself for those electives. They were just submitting the form to the Headmaster's office when there was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal a very pale looking sixth year. "The Headmaster has sent me to get both of you, Sir. You need to come to the hospital wing."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Theo

Theo had been petrified.

It was pretty obvious that Theo wasn't the false Heir's target. For one, he was a Pureblood and a Slytherin. For two, there was a Muggleborn Ravenclaw right next to him. They had been found in a lavatory, apparently lucky to both be facing the mirror.

Blaise and Daphne were already standing by Theo's bed. Professor Flitwick and another Ravenclaw stood over the other student.

The fact that Theo's petrification had been an accident didn't lessen its impact on Harry. He was devastated. He loved all his friends, but Theo was his _best_ friend. Theo was the friend he could go to when he needed to talk about the Dursleys with someone who could empathize, instead of a Mind Healer. Theo was the first person he'd felt close to at Hogwarts.

Before Harry could spiral any farther, he reminded himself that this was temporary. Theo was petrified, not dead. Professor Sprout had said recently that the Mandrakes needed to make the restorative draught for the petrification victims were almost matured. Theo wouldn't be gone from his life for long.

It was then that he remembered – the diary had been given to Professor Snape. When they left the hospital wing, Harry turned to the Professor. "Sir?"

"You wish to ask about the artifact that you and your friends brought me."

"Yes, Sir."

"In caring for the damage it did to you, then preparing your class for next year, I had forgotten about it for the time being. It was locked in a drawer of my desk, where it should have been able to do no harm. I have not checked, but I imagine that whoever was ennsared by it before it came into your possession has stolen it back. It is my fault for not placing stronger protections over it, and I apologize for the trouble that has brought you."

Harry swallowed. "Thank you, sir. At least now we know what we're looking for."

Professor Snape nodded tightly. Lily rested a comfortingly cool hand on Harry's shoulder as they walked the rest of the way to the dungeons in silence.

Theo's petrification rocked the school from top to bottom. That a Pureblood Slytherin could be a victim meant no one was safe. That Harry Potter's closest friend had been petrified meant he probably wasn't the Heir. (The fact that people were finally listening to him about the existence of a false Heir was the only silver lining of this situation.)

Harry told Blaise and Daphne that the diary was linked to the false Heir, and that it had been stolen back before the attack. He asked him to be aware if he saw anyone with it, since they would be much deeper under its influence than Harry had been. His friends agreed solemnly. Theo was their friend, too, after all.

New restrictions were placed on the students for their safety. Curfew was set to six p.m., just after dinner. A professor would escort students between classes in groups. Trips to the restrooms in the corridors required a professor in attendance as well. Quidditch was cancelled until further notice.

Harry was disappointed about Quidditch, but he knew safety had to come first. Likely, the school couldn't spare professors to guard the practices in addition to everything else they had to do. Privately, Harry thought the professors couldn't do much against Griswalde, since all of the school's roosters had been killed and that was the only reasonably safe way to fight against a basilisk. Not that Harry wanted her dead, of course. The attacks weren't Gris' fault. He kept those thoughts to himself, though, not wanting to ruin the fragile sense of security these measures gave the other students.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Letters

Near the end of March, Harry received a letter from Sirius after an uncharacteristically long silence. He ripped it open eagerly.

_Pup,_

_Sorry for the delay responding to your last letter, but a lot of exciting things have been happening. That's a lie. Everything I've been doing has been long, boring paperwork and bureaucracy. The end result is exciting, though._

_It's official, Prongslet! I've been cleared to have full custody of you, starting immediately. Since I last wrote you, the Mind Healer I've been seeing from St. Mungo's gave me a clean bill of health as long as I continue biweekly sessions for maintenance. Then, I applied for my old job back at the Ministry - apparently having a Lordship worth of investments isn't considered stable income to support a child. It's okay, though. I'm happy to be back at Auroring. Then, I had to file the paperwork with the Ministry, and submit all the evidence that I was fit to raise you. Hearings came next, and the official news that everything was approved came just this morning!_

_I know most people spend the Easter break at school, but maybe you'd like to come see your new home and help set up your room that week? I can't remember if I ever told you where I ended up living. I considered buying a flat, but when I reviewed the Black properties with Reggie I found a country house that hasn't been used in a few generations - I reckon it wasn't depressing enough for the recent Blacks. A small team of house elves have been keeping it in excellent shape, unlike Kreacher at Grimmauld Place, and there's enough land for Moony and I to run on the full._

_I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, Harry. If you need to talk to someone who isn't a Mind Healer, you know you can always talk to me. It's good to hear that the Mandrakes will be ready soon, and this trial will be short lived. _

_Your career plans sound excellent. I'll do everything I can to support you in them, so of course I'll arrange a magical theory and spellcrafting tutor for you. I'll look for someone good, and arrange it to start in June. Regarding the other tutoring you've asked for- I want to know why you think you need tutoring in the etiquette and Pureblood rubbish. I'm not saying no, but that tutoring was one of the worst things about my childhood. I can't imagine you seeking it out, and I want to make sure we both do what's best for you._

_Can't wait to see you, cub._

_Sirius_

Easter break was only a couple of weeks away. Harry wrote a reply to Sirius agreeing to come- home- for the holiday, and saying that he'd discuss the rest of things with him in person then. Really, Harry just wanted some time to rehearse his reasonings and make sure they were solid enough for Sirius to agree. It was important to him, but he couldn't put it eloquently enough yet.

Studying, playing chess in the common room, wandering the castle and its grounds with his friends - everything about their dynamic felt so awkward with Theo missing. Truthfully, Harry looked forward to the break from this almost as much as he would have at Christmas. He was packed well in advance.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Blackwood Hall

None of Harry's friends were going home for the break, so Harry had his own compartment in the mostly empty train with his mum, Mehen, and his trunk. The ride passed quickly while he read one of his magical theory books, and Harry was picked up at the platform by both Sirius and Remus. Sirius took him by the arm and apparated him directly to the country home they were living in.

Blackwood Hall, the Black family's country home, was a sizable manor house settled on the edge of an enchanted forest in Northern Ireland. It had a large front garden, and the Blacks owned and warded several acres of the forest behind the house. The house itself was constructed from dark gray stone. It was three stories, with large windows across much of the front of the house. A large porch with a wide staircase led up to the front doorway, where white columns supported an overhang. The trim of the doors and windows were black.

Just past the front door was the receiving room, where the floo connection was through a black marble fireplace tall and wide enough for a family of three to easily floo together. The floors and doorways were mahogany, and the walls were done in charcoal gray paper. Large windows and several crystal chandeliers provided enough light to keep the room from feeling small despite the dark colors. A grand marble staircase led up in the center of the room. The main floor also consisted of a formal dining room, an informal family dining room, a ballroom, and several parlors or sitting rooms.

On the second floor, Sirius and Remus shared the Master Suite. The Heir's suite was next door and was to be Harry's. There was one more suite intended for family on this floor, as well as an office for the Head of the Family to conduct business from.

The third floor was made up of several guest rooms and bathrooms. The kitchen, laundry, and elves' quarters were presumably below the house. There were no stairs leading down, as the elves were able to apparate in and out with ease.

An elf named Tippy brought Harry's trunk to the Heir's suite, which consisted of a sitting room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The walls in the rooms were black and bare, and the floors were made of the same hardwood as the rest of the house. The sitting room sat empty. In the bedroom there was a full sized four poster bed with plain sheets, a wardrobe, and an empty bookshelf in wood that matched the rest of the house.

"Ready to decorate it, pup?"

Harry looked at Sirius with wide eyes. "I get to choose?"

Sirius nodded. "The walls, rugs, sheets, furniture... anything you want, kiddo."

Harry beamed. He chose a light blue for the walls in his bedroom, to counteract the darkness in the rest of the house. Silver sheets with navy blue trim decorated the bed. A desk in matching wood was found for his bedroom, so that he could study, and he unloaded several of the books he'd brought to leave here - mostly first year texts - onto the bookshelf. Sirius gave him framed pictures - some of his parents, and some of him since he'd met Remus and Sirius - and he put them on the top of the bookshelf, the desk, and hanging on the wall. These were precious to him. In his sitting room, the walls were the same blue, and he chose royal blue and Slytherin green armchairs for seating. Sirius pulled a face at the green chairs, but didn't protest. A low table rested between the seats, and another framed picture of his parents - this one of their wedding - sat on the table. His en suite bathroom was done in black marble, and Harry decided it could stay. A tub large enough to completely submerge someone much larger than Harry was set into the floor at the back, and Sirius told Harry that it was charmed to remain at the perfect temperature until the bather left. Harry finished by putting the week's worth of clothes he'd brought into his wardrobe, and fell back onto the bed.

Harry sat on the bed absorbing the room - _his_ room. After ten years living in a cupboard things like this were important to him, and it struck Lily that this was the first room he could really call his since the nursery she had warded herself. Since leaving the Dursleys, Harry had lived in an inn, in a dorm, and as a guest in Professor Snape's home. Blackwood would be Harry's first proper home.

At some point, Tippy appeared in the bedroom with a pop. "Tippy is to be telling Young Master Harry it is being time for dinner, sir."

"Thank you Tippy. You can go," Harry said with a smile. Tippy visibly inflated before apparating away.

Harry was lost for only a minute or so on the first floor before he found the family dining room, where Remus and Sirius were already dishing their plates. Remus looked awful - it was a full moon tonight. Still, he brightened when he saw Harry enter the room with a sparkle in his eyes. "You like your rooms, cub?"

"They're perfect," Harry enthused. Lily smiled at her son, glad he was finally getting what he deserved.

Conversation over dinner was intentionally light - Remus' research, Harry's classes, Sirius' work around the Auror office at the DMLE. Heavier topics like petrifications and casework were avoided on unspoken agreement from all parties. By the time dinner ended, Remus was clearly in pain and he made his way directly outside.

"Aren't you going with him?" Harry asked when Sirius did not get up.

Sirius blinked in surprise. "I expected you wouldn't want me to. Don't you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"I honestly didn't even consider it," Harry shrugged. "I just know you always spend the Full with Remus. Won't he miss Padfoot? You can go."

"Are you sure you'll feel safe here alone?"

Harry nodded. "As long as Moony can't get into the house while he's transformed, I'm fine. I'm exhausted, so I'll probably go to bed early anyway."

Sirius grinned. "These windows are charmed unbreakable. You'll be perfectly safe as long as you stay inside." Sirius paused. "If you're sure you're okay with it, Moony would love to have me." Harry nodded again. "Alright Prongslet. I'm just going to put a monitoring charm on you before I go out. If you're injured or sick it'll let me know so I can come to you." Harry agreed to the charm, and Sirius cast it quickly before putting his wand away and rushing outside. Lily giggled the whole time, and Harry rounded on her as soon as Sirius was gone.

"What is so funny?"

Lily composed herself remarkably quickly. "What Sirius didn't tell you is that that was a baby monitor charm. We used the same one when you learned to crawl and we couldn't keep you in the same room with us. I completely support him using it in this case, since he'll be outside and sending an elf to him would be too dangerous, but it typically isn't cast on anyone over the age of four." Harry scowled a bit. "He probably didn't tell you that because he knew you wouldn't agree to it then."

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh, but did admit the likelihood of that. He yawned, and decided to spend the rest of the evening in a bath with a book.

Harry rose early the next morning. Remus was sleeping off the moon. Harry was honestly surprised to see Sirius in the dining room for breakfast, but supposed his godfather felt he had to be available to Harry during the day. He was nursing a very large cup of coffee. Harry hesitated at the door. He was ready to talk to Sirius about tutors. He was. He was just nervous.

Intellectually, he knew that the worst that Sirius could do would be to say no. Sirius would not punish him for asking, and Harry had practiced his argument. He had a good reasoning put together that he thought Sirius would understand and agree with. Having bolstered himself with this knowledge, Harry stepped into the dining room.

"Good morning, Padfoot."

Sirius grunted something that sounded vaguely like "morning". Harry briefly reconsidered having this conversation now, but decided he'd lose his nerve if he waited.

"Sirius, can we talk? About what I asked about in my letter?"

Sirius took a deep breath, and downed the last of his coffee. "Yeah, Harry. I suppose we can." He sighed. "I guess the biggest thing I'm worried about is why you want this. It was awful when I went through it. Are you being bullied in your house for not knowing these things, or pressured by your friends?"

Harry chuckled. "No. I mean, I might fit in better if I'd had this tutoring, but no one is mistreating me or pressuring me. No, I just feel like I need to know how to be a proper Head when I turn seventeen. I'm eventually going to be a Lord three times over, and all of the houses I'll be representing are really different. The Potters are Light, the Blacks are Dark - the Slytherin line is practically a legend since it hasn't been publicly claimed in generations. If I'm going to be able to balance all of that without making a fool of myself, I'm going to need to learn the rules." Sirius' face twisted up when Harry said rules, so he continued quickly. "I might not necessarily follow every rule I learn, but I need to know the customs and the reasons behind them before I can break them properly, right?"

Sirius cheered a bit when Harry mentioned breaking the rules. "That makes sense, I guess. Where did you get the ideas from?"

Harry started to load his plate with eggs as he spoke. "A few different places. Part of it was from seeing how much work you do with just one House, and part of it was from hearing about Theo's lessons since he's inheriting a Lordship too. The last thing was the book on Dark and Light magic I got for Christmas, and seeing how different they actually are."

Sirius sighed, picking at his food with his fork. After several long moments of silence, he spoke. "Okay." Another sigh. "I can't tutor you, because I never paid attention to any of it. Regulus was better, he could probably tutor you. I'll contact him. Our lessons were different from James', so you'll have to have a separate tutor for the Light side of things. Maybe Longbottom, or MacMillian. I'll look into it and get it set up for you in summer, at the same time as your spellcrafting tutoring."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Siri."

"No problem, Pup. It's going to be a lot to take on, though. Are you sure you want to do it all?"

"I think I need to. Besides, it'll be less than I do at school and if I don't have things to do I get bored too easily."

Sirius looked a bit confused, but nodded and went back to his food.

After breakfast, Sirius insisted on accompanying Harry as he explored the house at a more leisurely pace. Harry chuckled when his godfather continuously dozed off in the library. After lunch, Harry managed to convince his godfather to take a nap while Harry did his homework assignments. The quiet, relaxed atmosphere in the house meant Harry got them done quickly. At dinner, Sirius and Remus were both there looking tired but alive. They talked about nothing important for the rest of the evening, and turned in early.

The rest of the week, Harry's routine became mornings in the library with Remus, discussing his research on counter-curses theoretical relationships to the curses they countered, then the afternoons flying with Sirius and trying out the maneuvers in his Seeker's Tactic book he got for Christmas. Evenings Harry kept to his room, talking with his Mum or Mehen, or bathing, or just enjoying having a room.

Harry went back to Hogwarts excited to tell his friends about Blackwood Hall. It was a little bittersweet, since he'd have liked to tell Theo at the same time, but Harry was determined to stay positive.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: This Fixes Nothing

Harry lasted a week after the Easter Holidays, being forced into the common room at six p.m. and never traveling anywhere alone. He was going stir-crazy, and felt horribly claustrophobic. After his childhood, claustrophobia was one of the worst things for him. Lily, of course, tried to talk him out of wandering around in his invisibility cloak but Harry could not be persuaded. As a parselmouth and the rightful Heir, he reasoned, he would be perfectly safe if Griswalde was forced to attack tonight. He would just watch the ground and listen closely for her cries so that he could not be caught off guard. Lily, seeing that her son was going no matter what, faded into invisibility so that she wouldn't give him away.

Harry was wandering out on the grounds, and noticed that Hagrid's lights were on. He decided it had been too long since he'd been able to chat with his half-giant friend, so he stopped by and knocked on the door.

Hagrid answered holding a crossbow and looking around frantically.

"It's me, Hagrid," Harry whispered before taking off his hood.

"'Arry! What're yeh doin' here, 's not safe! Get inside, get inside."

"I'm perfectly fine, Hagrid. I couldn't stand being locked in the dungeons all night for another day."

"Would yeh like some tea?" Hagrid asked, as he put his kettle on the fire and took out two large mugs.

"Yes, please."

Hagrid looked more nervous than usual, but Harry attributed it to the attacks on the school. Especially knowing Hagrid had been framed for them last time. Actually-

"Hagrid, are you worried that you'll be blamed for the attacks again?"

Hagrid jumped nervously as he set a cup of boiling water (sans teabag) in front of Harry. "What d'yeh mean?" he asked unconvincingly.

Harry sighed. "I know you were expelled during the attacks the last time the Chamber was opened, Hagrid. I also know it couldn't have been you."

Hagrid had tensed when Harry mentioned his expulsion, but relaxed at Harry's words of confidence. "It wasn' y'know. Aragog never hurt no one."

"And Aragog was...?"

Hagrid beamed the way only dangerous creatures could make him. "'E's an Acromantula!" Harry paled, Lily's eyes widened dramatically, and Hagrid continued on obliviously. "I hatched 'im from an egg, I did. 'E still lives in the Forbidden Forest, got a whole family now! I visit 'em every now 'n then."

Harry shuddered, but did his best to sound polite. "That's... nice." Harry then began to tell Hagrid about his week at Blackwood Hall, when there was another knock on the door. Hagrid immediately tensed again, and shoved Harry into a corner with his invisibility cloak. Just as Harry and Lily disappeared, the door opened.

"Dumbledore! Minister Fudge? What're yeh two doin' 'ere?"

While Fudge rambled on about having to be seen doing something, Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes landed just where Harry was standing. Harry gulped, but stayed quiet. Dumbledore winked at him and returned to the conversation just in time to say to Minister Fudge that Hagrid had his "full confidence, of course."

Dumbledore's confidence didn't seem to be worth much to Fudge, who was determined to take Hagrid away to Azkaban. Just as Hagrid realized that was where this conversation was headed, another knock sounded at the door. It opened to reveal Lucius Malfoy.

Malfoy looked smug, and collected. Harry didn't like it. "Fudge, good, you're already here."

"What're yeh doin' in my house? Get out!" Hagrid shouted. Harry privately thought that shouting threats wasn't helping his 'Don't send me to Azkaban' case, but no one asked him. Likely since he wasn't supposed to be there and was invisible.

"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all being inside your - did you call this a house?" Malfoy sneered around at the single-room cabin with its patchwork decorations. "I simply called at the school and was told the headmaster could be found here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked with a false politeness.

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," Malfoy said as he took out a long roll of parchment, not sounding as if he found it dreadful at all, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension - you'll find that all twelve board members have signed it. All these attacks, and you haven't been able to stop it. At this rate, there will be no more Muggleborns left, and wouldn't that be terrible." Again, he did not sound as if he thought that would be terrible. Harry scowled under the cloak, but stayed quiet.

Fudge protested, but Lucius Malfoy shut him down as the running of the school was a matter of the Board of Governors, not the Ministry.

Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling. "An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all."

"Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!" Harry fought a sigh. Hagrid was really not making himself look innocent and safe to stay at the school.

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at Lucius Malfoy. "If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside —"

"But —" stuttered Fudge.

"No!" growled Hagrid.

Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold gray ones. "However," he said, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." His eyes flicked back over to Harry briefly.

"Admirable sentiments," said Malfoy rudely. "We shall all miss your- highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope your successor will manage to prevent any - ah - killins." He strode to the cabin door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out.

Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him and then shut the door firmly behind him. Harry faintly heard Hagrid shouting about someone needing to feed Fang. No one had bothered to put out Hagrid's fire.

Harry pulled off his cloak, and Lily faded into view. They looked at each other. "That's not good," Harry said. "We _need_ to figure out who has the diary." He put out the fire, and scratched Fang's ears before leaving.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Taken

Three days before their first exam - which several students were indignant or surprised to find were still happening - Professor McGonagall made an announcement at breakfast as the acting Headmistress.

"I have good news for you all," she said after casting a sonorous charm on herself. There were several shouts from the students in the Great Hall.

"Exams are cancelled!"

"You've caught the Heir!"

"Dumbledore's coming back!"

"Quidditch is back on!" Harry was fairly certain that last one was Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain.

McGonagall looked unamused as she waited for silence. "Professor Sprout has told me the Mandrake crop is ready for cutting. We will begin brewing the Restorative Draught immediately, and revive those who have been petrified by tonight. It is my hope that one of them will be able to tell us who their attacker was."

An excited murmur went around the room, and before long students were on their way to classes. Harry saw Ginny Weasley looking terrified and ill. He tried to approach her, but she refused to make eye contact with him and dodged into a crowd. "I hope it's just stress and not the diary," he mumbled to himself.

About midday, another announcement went through the school in Professor McGonagall's magically amplified voice. "All students are to return to their house dormitories immediately. All teachers to the staff room. Your Heads of House will be along shortly to explain the situation."

As Harry, Daphne, and Blaise walked back to the dungeons amidst a crowd of frightened children - which they were themselves - they passed Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. A new message was written on the wall. _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever._

Harry gulped, and hurried his pace. In the common room, a prefect was taking roll. Everyone was present except Ginny.

"She must have had the diary," Harry hissed to his friends. "And now that the petrified students are being woken up, however it works it's going to kill her to cover up the evidence." Before anyone could respond, Professor Snape stormed into the room with his cloak billowing behind him.

"A student from our house, Ginevra Weasley, has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets. The school has been deemed unsafe for habitation. Everyone, begin packing your bags immediately. The train will leave tomorrow following breakfast, which will be served in the Common Rooms. Professors will arrive at nine to escort you all to the station." He turned to leave, and Harry ran up to him.

"Sir. I need to talk to you."

"Mr. Potter, I don't have time-" he cut himself off when he saw the look on Lily's face. It was the same one that she gave him last year when he tried to dismiss Potter's concerns about Quirrell. He sighed. "Very well, Mr. Potter. Accompany me to my office."

"I can save her. You have to let me try."

"Absolutely not!" Lily cried. "We've already decided it wasn't safe for you to go to the Chamber."

Harry ignored his mother for the moment. "Is anyone even looking for her?"

Professor Snape pinched his nose. "Professor Lockhart was assigned the job. I am sure he will either die or flee the school tonight."

"Sir, I know where the entrance to the Chamber is, and I'm the only one in the school who can open it without that diary. It responds to Parseltongue. I can control Griswalde, get the diary back, and save Ginny. Please, sir."

Professor Snape looked like he was about to protest, so Harry cut him off again.

"I can't just let her die. I've noticed all year that she looked sick and upset all the time, but I never connected it to the diary until today. Please, I'm the only person who can stop this."

Professor Snape gave a long-suffering sigh, and looked at Lily apologetically before turning back to Harry. "You will not go alone. I will accompany you. And you'll take that blasted invisibility cloak."

"Yes, sir." Harry looked grimly determined, and Lily resigned herself to having lost. The fact that Harry was going with Severus was her only consolation in all of this.

Ten minutes later, they stood in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "_Open._"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Inside the Chamber of Secrets

Professor Snape cast charms to slow their descent as they slid down the pipes into the Chamber, then again to cushion their landing. Brushing dust and slime off his robes, Harry looked around. This part of the Chamber was long tunnel, and went in only one direction. Animal bones crunched under their feet, and the Professor's eyes widened when he saw a shed skin.

"When everything is resolved," he said lowly, "I'd be pleased if you could ask Griswalde if I may harvest her sheds for potions ingredients. Basilisk scales are incredibly valuable."

Harry nodded, but did not speak. The two approached a door decorated with intertwined serpents, eyes appearing to gleam in their direction. After checking that the professor was ready, Harry hissed at them and they unwound to allow the large stone doors to swing open. Together, the two stepped into the main chamber.

It was a large cavern, a massive statue of Salazar Slytherin across the room from the doorways. The floor was tiled in green and white, and the walls were made of plain stone. The whole chamber was coated in dust and littered with bones. Perhaps one day it was grand, but it hadn't been cleaned or maintained for quite some time. Harry was making a mental note to ask Salazar's portrait about how he expected that to happen when his eyes landed on Ginny, who was lying limp on the floor. He rushed over to her, the professor following behind at a more sedated pace, with his eyes sweeping the room.

Harry knelt next to Ginny, shaking her by the shoulder. "Wake up, please. Don't be dead, don't be too late." She was limp, and her eyes were closed, so she wasn't petrified. Her skin was pale, and she was unconscious. Harry could feel a weak pulse when he thought to check. Ginny was alive, but barely.

Tom Riddle stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room just then, an impassive expression on her face as he looked at the girl. In his hands was Harry's wand, which he must have stupidly dropped in his haste to check on Ginny. "She won't wake."

"She's not- How are you out of the diary?" Harry asked in hostile tones. Young Voldemort didn't look like a ghost - Harry didn't even consider it a possibility - but he didn't look entirely real either. His colors were washed out in the same way as the memory and Harry couldn't entirely tell where his edges were, as if he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"I am a memory, preserved in that diary for fifty years," he gestured towards the diary, which was lying on the ground next to Ginny, "and given substance by a foolish little girl who so desperately wanted a friend." He sneered the last word, as if wanting friends was distasteful. Maybe to him it was. "She loved me, and was easy to charm. I was the only one who paid her any mind most of the time - a Blood Traitor in Slytherin house she was an outcast, separated from her brothers she was lonely. The great, good, intelligent Harry Potter barely paid her any mind - pitied her when he did. She poured her soul into my diary, and I absorbed it to gain strength."

Harry gaped at Tom Riddle. Behind him, Professor Snape did the same thing for a more nuanced reason - soul magic, he knew, was dangerously Dark and always illegal. He shouldn't be surprised that Voldemort dabbled in it, but the confirmation was bad news.

"It is in the final stages now. In mere minutes little Ginny Weasley will cease to exist, and I will cease to be a memory."

"I won't let you do this, Voldemort."

The young man's eyebrows raised. "So you know who I am? I suppose, then, I'll save you the monologue of my tragic history and jump straight to the portion of the night where I can't let you leave here alive."

Harry slammed his eyes shut when Voldemort began to hiss, "_Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four._" When the statue's mouth opened, Professor Snape did the same. As the gigantic basilisk slithered out of the tunnel it created, Voldemort hissed again. "_Kill them._"

Tom Riddle chuckled. "Parseltongue won't save you, Potter. She only listens to Slytherin's Noble Heir - me."

_"No. Don't want to obey. Not the Heir. So hungry."_

_"Griswalde," _Harry began, doing his best to orient himself towards her with his eyes closed. _"Stay your bite."_

_"Heir?"_

_"Yes,"_ Harry did his best to make his voice soothing, but tone was difficult to determine in the serpent's tongue. _"I'm the true Heir. You don't have to attack, Gris."_

_"I hunger."_

_"I will feed you. You won't have to attack to be fed."_

Voldemort watched, enraged. In parseltongue, he roared, _"I am your Heir! Kill them!"_

_"No, Gris. It's not the time to attack."_

Poor Griswalde was terribly confused. Conflicting orders from two Parselmouths - one she recognized, who had definitely been the Heir the last time she saw him, and one whose claim to the Heirship felt stronger. She thrashed back and forth, appearing to be in pain.

Harry inched towards the motions he could hear from the giant snake. "Harry, no!" Lily cried out.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" Professor Snape reacted to Lily's words.

Harry ignored them both, his hand extended in front of him as he shuffled his feet. His hand landed on smooth scales, writhing slightly beneath it. Gently, he spoke to her again. _"I am the rightful Heir, Gris. Tom Riddle has been killed, and is clinging to life unnaturally. He cannot command you."_

At Harry's last words, the basilisk settled. _"Heir?"_

_"Yes, Gris. I am the Heir. You no longer obey the previous Heir. Please close your eyes, so I may open mine safely."_

_"Yes, Heir. You are safe."_

Harry opened his eyes. He startled a bit when he saw the yellow orbs of the basilisk, but then he remembered that snakes had transparent eyelids. The glow was dulled, and the deadly gaze temporarily dampened. He turned to the professor. _"It's safe to open your eyes, sir. She'll obey-"_

Harry was cut off by an enraged roar from Tom Riddle, who still held his wand. He pointed it at Harry.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_ A jet of green light came towards Harry, who stood frozen in place. Griswalde nudged her Heir with her nose, and Harry fell over just in time for the killing curse to fly over his head and strike the empty wall behind him.

Harry was wandless against Voldemort. He panicked for a moment, before realizing how stupid he really was. _"Gris, defend me!"_

Griswalde moved her head towards Tom Riddle, and Harry hastily moved behind it. Professor Snape resisted the temptation to close his eyes, knowing he may need to react to spellfire. When the basilisk turned her deadly gaze on Tom Riddle, however, there was no response.

Voldemort laughed. "I am not truly alive, just yet! The basilisk cannot kill me before the Weasley girl dies. _Avada Kedavra_!"

Harry rolled over quickly to dodge the curse again, but it was unnecessary. Griswalde blocked it, her immense magic-resistant scales reflecting the curse back on its caster. Unfortunately, that was as effective at killing Riddle as her gaze. With the massive body of Gris wrapped around him, Harry tried to think of a plan. Things were looking bleak. Griswalde attempted to bite Riddle, but it seemed as if he truly couldn't be killed while he was still absorbing Ginny's soul through the diary-

The diary.

"_Gris! Bite the book, on the floor by the girl._" Tom Riddle's eyes widened, and he lunged for the diary. Griswalde's immense body moved faster, and her fang pierced its cover.

The destruction of the diary was intensely disgusting. Black liquid the consistency of blood oozed out of it in spurts, like someone had cut open an artery. A screeching sound prompted Harry to cover his ears. As Gris bit the diary a second time, holes began to open in the body of Tom Riddle. He screamed in pain as he appeared to dissolve. He disappeared completely, and the screaming ceased from both sources.

"_You can stop, Griswalde. You've done well to defend me. Close your eyes now so that we can move about safely._"

"_Yes, my Heir._" Griswalde visibly preened as Harry extricated himself from her coils.

Professor Snape approached Ginny, and cast several diagnostic charms. As he did, she began to stir. "Professor? Harry?" She began to cry. "I'm so sorry. It was me. I don't know how I did it, but I opened the Chamber. I'm so sorry."

"Calm yourself," Professor Snape said firmly. "You were under the influence of a powerful Dark artifact. None of this is your fault."

Ginny looked up at him tearfully, ready to ask questions, and saw Griswalde. She screamed and covered her eyes.

"It's okay, Ginny," Harry said soothingly. "She's listening to me, she won't hurt us."

Slowly, Ginny opened her eyes. She tried to stand, only to fall over again.

Professor Snape conjured a floating stretcher and levitated Ginny onto it. "You are severely weakened, Miss Weasley. We need to bring you to Madame Pomfrey immediately." She only nodded weakly as the stretcher began to move towards the exit. Harry took one last look around, bid Griswalde goodbye with a promise of food soon, and followed Professor Snape out. At the tunnel, the professor cast a charm that produced a strong column of air to lift them up the pipes.

While Madame Pomfrey bustled around Ginny, Professor Snape summoned acting Headmistress McGonagall, who brought Albus Dumbledore with her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Loose Ends

Professor Dumbledore had come back once Ginny had been taken - it seemed his removal actually made things worse, which Lucius Malfoy would have pretended was very surprising. Once the two Heads saw Ginny, they immediately floo'd to the Head's office and summoned the Weasley family, who were there in tears over their daughter. Madame Pomfrey chased them away from Ginny's bed quite quickly, citing her need for rest, so Mrs. Weasley rounded on Harry.

While hugging him, she exclaimed through her tears "You saved her! You saved my daughter! How on earth? It doesn't matter how, she's alive and you've saved her." Once she let go, Mr. Weasley gave him a firm handshake and a nod. Harry appreciated his restraint.

Professor Snape explained the events in the Chamber. He was chastised by McGonagall for allowing a student to go, but all three Professors did agree that it was the only way Ginny would have been saved and the attacker thwarted. He gave the diary to the Headmaster for examination, upon his request. The Heads also confirmed that Professor Lockhart had indeed fled the school after being tasked with rescuing Ginny from the Chamber.

Just as Professor Dumbledore sent Professor McGonagall to alert the elves to an impromptu celebratory feast, Lucius Malfoy came in with Dobby in tow. The Headmaster revealed that the other governors had contacted him following the loss of Ginny and told him they were blackmailed into suspending him in the first place and very much regretting the decision. When Dumbledore produced the diary, Dobby began a strange ritual of looking meaningfully from the diary to Lucius, then smacking himself on the head repeatedly.

Harry approached the Malfoy Lord in the hallway outside the infirmary. He had half a plan, based on his interpretation of Dobby's several hints, and hoped he could manage to out-manipulate the man.

"Sir?" he said very politely.

"What is it, boy?" Lucius ground out, apparently very irritated that neither of his plots had gone according to plan.

"Well, sir. I was just thinking about that diary, and where it might have come from."

"I do not see how that involves me."

"Well, sir. I think I clearly remember you giving it to Ginny. In Diagon Alley?" Harry read the tightening of Malfoy's face to mean he was on the right track. "Maybe you slipped it to her with her books. I believe you fought with Arthur Weasley in the bookshop that day, so you'd have been there at the same time?" Harry had not seen Mr. Malfoy do anything but the fight, but he had a good feeling about this. "And I knew that the trouble in Hogwarts might have been connected to you, sir, because I had a warning this summer." Dobby cowered in a corner as Harry reminded his Master of his misdeeds.

Lucius grit his teeth. "You cannot prove anything."

"Maybe not, sir. But I think between myself and my Godfather, Lord Black, we can find support for an investigation. Mr. Weasley would support us within the Ministry, too, since his daughter was almost killed. And Lord Nott might also seek justice for the petrification of his Heir." Harry paused dramatically. "Would veritaserum prove anything?"

"What do you want?" Lucius ground out.

"Free Dobby."

"Free- what?"

"Dobby. I empathize with him a bit, and he's helped me this year. Free him and I won't go to anyone with what I know."

"I haven't any spare clothes to give the elf," Lucius said as if that would make Harry give up and ask for gold. Instead, Harry took off his tie and handed it to the older man. Lucius growled and threw it at Dobby, who caught it gleefully.

"Harry Potter sir has freed Dobby. Dobby is a free elf."

Harry smiled at the house elf. "It was nothing, Dobby. Just please, don't try to help me like this again. It was a bit painful at times."

Dobby looked sheepishly at the ground, but continued grinning. Lucius Malfoy scowled furiously and stormed out of the school without him. Harry turned around to see Professor Snape watching from the doorway.

"That was impressive manipulation, Mr. Potter."

Harry swallowed. "It doesn't take much to frighten someone who has legitimately done wrong, sir."

"Perhaps. Now, the Restorative Draught is being administered to the petrified students now. You should go along to the feast, since I'm sure Mr. Zabini and Miss Greengrass are waiting for you. Mr. Nott will be along once he is awake and scanned for further injuries."

Harry grinned. "Yes, sir."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Midnight Feast and Year's End

The Great Hall was crowded with students in various states of dress - most of the Slytherins had taken time to put on either their uniform or some casual clothes, while other houses had a higher concentration of students in pajamas or dressing gowns. The tables were laden with mostly sweets, and students were chatting boisterously. To Harry's embarrassment, many of the students clapped and cheered when he walked in the doors. Luckily, everyone was soon distracted by their petrified housemates' arrivals and Harry was able to eat and reconnect with Theo in relative peace.

He told his friend about his electives, Blackwood Hall and the tutoring he'd have this summer, and Lockhart's "mysterious" disappearance. In turn, Blaise haltingly told the group to use _they_ and _them_ pronouns for them. They'd decided they wanted this quite a while ago, but wanted to tell everyone at the same time. Daphne updated Theo on his Quidditch team - a thoughtful thing that hadn't occurred to the rest of the group. Several Hufflepuffs, including Finch-Fletchley and Smith, came up to Harry while he was with his friends to apologize for thinking he was the Heir. Each time, Harry coolly explained that he was the Heir of Slytherin, and had been impersonated, and that he would consider their apology. Lily smirked. Her son was not so forgiving just yet, and she was glad to see him stand up for himself.

As they finished catching up, Hagrid entered the Great Hall to another round of applause, having been released from Azkaban when Dumbledore wrote in that the attacks had worsened in his absence. With everyone apparently present who would be, Dumbledore rose and called for silence to make a speech.

"First, I would like to say to the students who have been petrified - welcome back. Your absence has been felt by many this school year. It is my pleasure to announce to any who may yet be unaware that the vehicle behind the attacks, a powerful Dark artifact which possessed a first year student, has been found and destroyed. The threat that was Slytherin's Monster is no more. For his assistance to the Professors of Hogwarts as we have attempted to combat these issues this year, as well as for his daring rescue of another student I would like to award Mr. Harry Potter of Slytherin 150 points. Your families have been notified that the emergency is resolved and the Hogwarts Express will run as usual. As a school treat, and out of fairness to those who have missed months of classes and review, exams have been cancelled for the whole school." Dumbledore paused for cheering, and a few shocked or dismayed gasps from the Ravenclaw table. "It is also my unfortunate duty to tell you all that Professor Lockhart has left the school, to places unknown, and presumably will not be returning." Most of the school, including the teachers, cheered again here. A few students who still found themselves lovestruck were disappointed, but no one could say they were shocked. The Defense position was cursed, after all. "Now, I will not keep you from your celebrating any longer. Enjoy!"

The celebration lasted all night, with students finally returning to bed around six a.m. The school was like a ghost town during the day that day, as no one planned to get out of bed for meals until at least dinner.

The rest of the school year proceeded normally, without Defense Against the Dark Arts classes or frantic exam preparations. Students relished in their freedom from the safety restrictions that had been imposed, and the castle grounds were frequently crowded with students out for walks or sitting in the sun.

Blaise was given their own dorm room in the dungeons after they disclosed their gender to Professor Snape and the Headmaster. At first, Theo and Harry were disappointed not to be rooming with their friend anymore. That disappointment quickly resolved when Daphne pointed out that they wouldn't have to crowd into one person's bed curtains to have private conversations anymore - none of them had perfected a useful privacy charm yet. With this in mind, the whole group was enthusiastic about Blaise's new rooming situation.

The whole of Slytherin House knew about Blaise's gender immediately when they switched rooms. Amazingly, the entire second year was united in their support. Theo, Harry, and Daphne were their best friends and supported them immediately. Malfoy got his group to support Blaise in respect of their shared childhood. Millicent and Tracey Davis knew that anything Malfoy and Potter could agree on was the right decision to make. A few of the first or third years gave Blaise some trouble, but the second year was able to put a stop to everything quickly while united.

News spread to the rest of the school more slowly, as people noticed the Professors using different pronouns for Blaise in class. Some of them were arses, either because they had a problem with Blaise's gender (Which confused Harry to no end - how does it even impact them?) or because they were always ready to jump down Slytherins' throats. Outside the common room, even the Slytherins who were unsure about how to react to Blaise now defended them. Slytherins present a united front, especially in defense of their younger members.

Harry went back to the Chamber of Secrets to see to Gris three days after everything happened. After consulting Salazar's portrait that it was safe, he agreed to bring his friends along. ("_Of course it's safe_," Salazar had told him, "_I built that space as a safe place for my Heirs to study and convene with those they trust. It is yours to do as you will._") Salazar had told him he could request stairs from the pipeline entrance, which made Harry feel a bit silly about all of the charms he'd needed Professor Snape to cast on their way in and out before.

The Chamber was no longer covered in bones and dust. Apparently, visiting it had alerted the house elves of Hogwarts to the uncleaned space, and they had gone immediately to work. The tiles in the main chamber gleamed, and their footsteps gave ringing echoes as they walked through. The walls were also cleaned of dirt, and Harry noticed a carving of snakes with emeralds for eyes on the wall to the right that had been too filthy to see before. Approaching it, he realized it was a door like the one that led into this room. He hissed to it, and it slowly opened.

Inside was a study. The elves had found this room as well, and Harry found himself glad. There was a lovely desk with a large wingback chair, which was certainly not original to the chamber. There was no way it was a thousand years old. The walls were lined with shelves, and on those shelves were books which looked like they could have been Salazar's. At Harry's request, Theo checked the books and found intact preservation charms, so Harry picked one up and flipped through it. It appeared to be a journal. He showed it to Blaise.

"What is this? It's nonsense."

"What? No, it's in plain English!"

Theo peeked at it. "No it isn't, Harry. It's just a bunch of curvy lines."

Harry gasped. "It's written in Parseltongue! I didn't know Parseltongue had a script!" Harry flipped carefully through the journal, but found little of interest. He picked up another, and realized it was about the creation of Hogwarts. He gasped loudly, and turned to his Mum excitedly.

"This was written by Slytherin!"

Harry set the journal down on the desk, and his friends crowded around it despite not being able to read a word of it. Reverently, Daphne brushed her fingers against the cover while Harry looked at the rest of the books on the shelf. He found three that seemed to be the family charter and training for Heirs, and put them carefully in his bag along with the journal from the desk. He turned to his friends.

"Wanna meet Gris?"

All three looked apprehensive, but steeled themselves and nodded. Harry lead them out of the study, allowing the door to close behind them, and faced the statue of Slytherin. "_Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four._" The mouth opened, just like it had on Friday night, and Gris could be heard shifting within the tunnel. "_Eyes closed please, Gris_."

"_Yes, my Heir._"

"She'll have her eyelids closed so that her gaze it cut off. You're all safe. Just a warning, you can still see her yellow eyes." Daphne gulped, Theo looked ecstatic, and Blaise looked contemplative. Gris's immense body emerged from the statue's mouth, and she coiled on the floor of the chamber. Harry walked up to her fearlessly and laid a hand on her snout, hissing compliments. "You can come see her closer, if you want!" he called to his friends. None of them moved an inch, and Harry shrugged. Nothing for it.

He turned back to Gris. "_I promised you food. How do you prefer to eat, lovely?_"

"_I can hunt in the forest,_" she hissed happily, "_Only give me permission and I can feed myself at will._"

Harry fumed. Tom Riddle only had to give Gris permission to hunt and she could be fed, but he still let her go hungry? Harry knew Voldemort was evil towards humans, especially muggles, but mistreating an intelligent animal that was magically bound to him in loyalty was a new low. "_You may hunt freely at night. Only be sure to keep your eyes closed until you are away from the students._"

"_Yes, my Heir,_" Gris seemed ecstatic to be allowed to hunt. Harry was sadly reminded of himself, overjoyed to have his basic needs met because he'd been denied. He spent a little longer with the basilisk before bidding her goodbye and leading his friends out of the Chamber.

The calm, relaxed atmosphere of the castle after a year of tension allowed time to slip by unnoticed. Too soon, it was time to board the Express. Harry, Theo, Daphne, Blaise, and of course Lily shared a compartment. Ginny Weasley stopped by briefly, as did Ron and Hermione. More surprising was the Weasley twins.

"We want to thank you-" said the first.

"For saving our sister-" continued the second.

"And for welcoming her in your house when she had trouble."

"We consider ourselves in your debt-"

"For your service to our family." The twins then bowed dramatically and left the compartment, closing the door behind them. The Slytherins exchanged meaningful looks. The Weasleys were Purebloods, even if they were non-tradtional, and the twins would understand what it would mean when they formally acknowledged a debt to another wizard. Especially to a compartment of traditional Slytherins. After a moment to bask in the opportunities this debt would bring, they returned to their previous conversation - mocking stereotypes of their house.

At King's Cross, Sirius and Remus waited for Harry again. Harry turned to his friends to say goodbye, much more cheerfully than the previous year, and promised to invite them to Blackwood Hall for his birthday if not sooner. He then walked to Sirius, his trunk in tow and Mehen wrapped around his shoulders, and they apparated home.


End file.
